You've Tried the Wine -- Now Try the City!

That’s right. The motto of the city of Porto practically beckons you to come in and taste what the city has to offer. Well we tasted Porto and all of its parts, and we’ll tell you one thing: it’s a cardiologist’s nightmare. Lots of cured meats. (Jeremy and Parker enjoyed them, me not so much.) Lots of creamy cheese. (We all enjoyed those.) Deep fried empanada like crescents stuffed with more meat scraps and creamy cheese. And let’s not forget the signature dish of the city, Franchesina. But let’s get to the point, the port wine… I’m not really a fan of port, but if you put some in front of me, I’ll “take one for the team” and drink it. It’s only polite.

Despite being a fan, I have developed a better appreciation for port these past few days in Porto. For example, I now know that there are many different kinds of port: rubies, tawnies, and vintages.  

Ruby ports are aged for two years in vats – no wood. They are of the lowest quality, red ruby color, and sweet.Tawny ports are made from a blend of average quality grapes, aged 2-7 years in wooden casks. They are dryer and nuttier than the ruby ports. Aged Tawnies are made from a blend of high quality grapes and aged for 10, 20, 30, or more years. They are said to be subtler and softer than ruby and tawny, more like a cognac than a wine. To me, tawnies still taste like liquor. Although, I admit, those aged longer taste less like Wild Turkey (my least favorite whiskey) with a splash of old red wine and more like an old red wine with a splash of Wild Turkey. Basically, they all burned when I drank them, so I wasn’t much of a fan.

Now the vintage ports are a totally different story. There are two kinds. Late bottle vintages, which consist of a single grape varietal from a single year aged approximately 5 years in wooden casks. They are then bottled and are read for drinking immediately. (Like most American wines.) They are smooth and light, for a beverage that’s 20% alcohol by volume. A “regular” or “estate” vintage is made from the finest quality grapes from a single year and estate. Only some years qualify for this labeling, depending on the quality for the growing season. They are aged in barrels for 2 years, then aged in bottles for at least ten years. These are the only ports that should be purchased with intent to age. They are fruity, but very subtle and complex. I was able to put a few of those back. They were delicious.

Port Tasting at Taylor's

Can you guess which bottle we purchased after our tasting at Taylor’s, one of the oldest port makers in the world? That’s right, a Late Bottle Vintage. It tasted a lot like wine, and we had enough cash in our wallet to afford it. Seriously, we overhead a guy negotiating the purchase of one bottle of a 40 year Tawny for over 2400 Euros. Yikes.

But we didn’t just taste port in Porto. We explored the city by foot, checking out a plethora of catholic churches. But only from the outside. With a baby, Jeremy resisted the urge to take an audio-guided tour of each of Porto’s World Heritage Site landmarks.

Parker was a fantastic travel buddy, too. Once he finally woke up at 10:00 AM on Monday morning, we started our day with a lovely brunch at Café Majestic, noted as one of the 10 most beautiful cafes in the world. (Though I was underwhelmed – total tourist trap, poor service, and overpriced.) Then we explored Porto’s Mercado do Balhao, an outdoor market that is also on its way out the door. I feel ungrateful, but our hometown Brentwood Farmer’s Market is THE BOMB and our standards for an outdoor market have risen drastically these past two years. We also explored Portugal’s oldest neighborhood, the Ribeira, which had more churches and lots of steep staircases. Throughout these explorations, Jeremy carried Parker on his back in our baby carrier, and Parker simply slept. It was really quite easy to explore without disturbing Parker’s nap schedule. We were incredibly surprised.

Nicole & Porto w/ Parker in the Ergo

Jeremy Carries the Stroller Down the "Stairs of Truth"

Of course, Parker did wake up just as we arrived at Taylor’s for our port tasting. But they had a lovely garden area, where lots of other thirsty parents of toddlers had convened to sip port while their kids crawled and walked and giggled. Parker made friends with a little boy from the Czech Republic who was one year old. They grunted back and forth at one another. Seems that grunting is a universal language. Parker also met – and fell in love – with a dark haired little Spanish toddler.  He practically chased her out of the garden when it was time for her family to leave.

Parker Sizing Up a Vintage Port

 It was a great day getting to know a new city, however, we’re keen to move onto our next destination, Amarante. Pool time, wine tasting, and more smoked meats are waiting for us in this sleepy little down on the edge of the Duoro Wine Region. Ciao, Porto!

 

View of Porto from Gaia