Vila Nova de Gaia Port Wine Cellars
Porto Portugal is a beautiful city with much to offer, including its sister city of Vila Nova de Gaia Port Wine Cellars and the Douro Valley Wineries. Port wine is a sweet dessert wine fortified with brandy; the alcohol content is approximately 20%. Port wine is sipped from a 3 oz glass, used to make fabulous cocktails, or simmered to prepare sauces and glazes. Port wine became popular after England boycotted French wine in the 17th Century and began getting their red wine from nearby Portugal. Brandy was added to the wine to preserve it during the transport to England. This fortification resulted in a sweet red wine with high alcohol content (19-22%).
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There are 52 Portuguese grape varieties used to produce Port wine, the most common are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Touriga Roriz. The grapes are grown on steep terraced hillsides in the Douro Valley. These terraced vineyards are referred to as the Stairways to Heaven and many of the vineyards are classified as World Heritage. Historically the wine was transported from the Douro Valley vineyards to the Port cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia on barcos rabelos. Grapes are often collected from separate vineyards and harvested/fermented together in a single batch (Vintage Port).
Traditions are respected and the process of producing Port Wine is laborious and expensive. Grapes are picked by hand in mid-September. Winemakers inspect the grapes before they are destemmed. Grapes are then put in a Lagares and are trodden by foot. Brandy is added to the batch before it is aged in oak casks. After 18 months the batch is blended with others to create the wine and further aged in either wood or bottle. The longer the aging process the sweeter the wine. Port wine is aged 10, 20, 30, or 40 years.
Vila Nova de Gaia Port Wine Cellars: The Styles of Port Wine
Red Port is the most common Port wine. It is flavored with blackberry, raspberry, cinnamon, and chocolate. Red Port wine is popular in the United States. It is served at room temperature or mixed in cocktails and punches. Red Port pairs well with blue cheese, milk chocolate, and berry desserts.
Rose Port is served cold and flavored strawberry, raspberry, cranberry sauce, and caramel.
Tawny Port is a sweet dessert wine, served cool and sipped from a 3 oz glass. It is flavored caramel, butterscotch, raspberry, hazelnut, almond, cinnamon, clove, and fig. It pairs well with aged cheddar, caramel apples, apple pie, dried fruit, milk or dark chocolate, pumpkin or pecan pie, cheesecake, and tiramisu.
White Port is light and dry to semi-sweet. It is flavored apricot, sweet baked apple, citrus peel, or roasted nuts. It is used in cocktails or served as an aperitif. A common drink is a white port and tonic on the rocks with a twist of lemon, lime, or mint.
Vintage Port is a blend of the best grapes from a single year. It is paired with blue cheese, almonds, walnuts, chocolate, and puff pastries. Vintage Port is popular in the United Kingdom.
Vila Nova de Gaia Port Wine Cellars: Churchill’s Port
Vila Nova de Gaia is full of Port Wine Cellars. I recommend a stop at Churchill Port first. Churchill recently won the Best of Wine Tourism Award for Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences in Porto. The company was founded in 1981 by John Graham and is one of the youngest Port Wine houses in Vila Nova de Gaia. The Graham family has a long history of Port wine production. Churchill embraces those traditions and is dedicated to bringing Port wine into the everyday lives of patrons. Churchill only uses native varietals of Grade A grapes picked by hand and production is foot-trodden. The company is concerned about climate change and has taken production a step further by adhering to sustainability practices. This is a great spot for a tour and tasting to learn about Port Wine and its production. Churchill was my favorite Port Wine hands down!
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