Most people don’t realise how much there is to know about wine tasting in Porto.
Besides the famous Port wine cellars, there are some amazing wine bars in the city where you can taste wines from different wine regions in the country, and you can buy great wines at affordable prices at supermarkets.

On this article you will find detailed information on all the above, but if you want a quick and fun introduction to the world of Portuguese wines I recommend you to do a walking wine tasting in Porto, where you will be able to try not only Port wines but also wines from Douro Valley and Minho, two amazing wine regions near my city.

It is one of the group tours with the highest ratings in the city, so if you don’t want to invest in one of our private tours or if you are simply looking to make new friends in town, this is definitely a good option for you 🙂

Enough talking. Let’s take a closer look at the amazing wine world in Porto! 🙂

Go for a wine tasting at the Port lodges

If you are in the city for a couple of days you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to do a wine tasting in Porto at one of our famous Port wine lodges.

There, you will be able to not only to learn about the production process of Port wine, but also to taste different Ports.
The wines are produced in Douro Valley, but the major brands still age its Ports at the Port wine lodges in Gaia, and there you’ll be able to see the large vats and the smaller wine barrels… it is magic! 🙂

What are the best Port wine lodges?

I’ve already written about the best Port lodges in Porto. Nonetheless, let me give you some advice on how to pick the best Port wine lodge for you:

• If you want to have the most informative tour, with a detailed explanation of the Port wine production process, than I highly recommend you to take a wine tour and tasting at Graham’s. Moreover, Graham’s has an incredible terrace overlooking the Douro river. It is stunning and a great place to have a glass of Port with some tapas!

• If you want a good value for the money I recommend you to visit a Port wine tasting at Calém combined with a live Fado show. It’s a great way to experience Port wine and enjoy some traditional Portuguese music. You can get your online ticket for a Fado Show at Calém’s Port wine lodge. The only bad thing about Calém is that, as it is by the riverside, it is usually full of people.

• If you want to visit a really unique Port wine lodge, then I recommend you to book a tour and wine tasting at Cockburn’s because you will have the very, very rare opportunity of seeing their coopers’ team repairing the wine barrels. It is also the largest (and hence most impressive) working cellar in the city.

• If you prefer to visit a small scale producer, I recommend you to try the wine tasting at Poças, which is one of being one of the very few Port wine lodges in the hands of a Portuguese family (unfortunately, most brands belongs to English companies). So, if you are looking for a traditional, family owned Port wine lodge, look no further!

More useful information about the Port wine lodges

• Where to go: Usually, the Port wine lodges by the riverside are PACKED. The groups can take up to 30 people, which, in my opinion, decreases the overall quality of the experience. You won’t be able to ask a lot of questions or pause to take pictures. Therefore, I always prefer to go to the furthest Port houses, as the tours are more intimate and personal.

• What to taste: In most lodges, the standard tasting is quite poor, consisting of entry level wines. In my opinion, it is really worth it to pay a little extra to taste better Port wines, specially because the differences between rubys and tawnies are easier to spot in older wines. Better wine tastings allow you to get a proper introduction to Port wines and to better understand your own preferences, so go for it! 🙂 In my opinion, you should try at least a 10 years old Tawny, an LBV and a White Port.

• How many Port houses: This is a personal choice but in my opinion, you should focus on quality rather than quantity. It is better to visit two Port wine lodges with informative and well structured tours, rather than visit five with awful wines and scripted tours. In that regard, I find Graham’s Port lodge particularly good.

• Audio guided visits: If you already know a little bit about Port wines, then you might find the visit to Taylor a rather interesting one. The tour is completely automated (no guides, only audio guides), which is great for people like me, who prefer detailed information at my own pace. However, it is not the best lodge for groups of friends, and there will be no interaction among you!

• Be careful with free wine tastings in Porto! This might seem a stupid advice, but it certainly isn’t. If you buy a cable car ticket, go for a hop on hop off tour or have the 6 bridges cruise you’ll get a free Port wine tasting at one of the Port houses. Don’t expect good quality wines though!

2. More wine tasting in Porto: the best wine bars

For those of you who are not so found of Port wine (maybe you just haven’t found the right one… ;), there are some other cool options. Slowly but steadily wine is becoming increasingly popular and respected in the country, with proper wine bars where you can make a wine tasting in Porto.
These are perfect places to have a glass of wine to go along with some petiscos, such as creamy sheep cheese, Portuguese prosciutto or the traditional canned sardines.
And the best wine bars in Porto are…

Wine Quay Bar

Cais da Estiva, 111 | Porto

The Wine Quay Bar is definitely one of my favourite spots at the moment, as it is one of the few places for a proper wine tasting in Porto. It is a cozy wine bar, very close to Luiz I iron bridge, and facing the Port houses on the other side of the Douro river.
There you can find a short yet careful selection of wines from several wine regions, like Douro Valley, the Green Wine Region, Alentejo and more. The prices for a glass of wine range from 3,50€ to 7€, which is fairly reasonable, if the wines are good (which they are).
At the Wine Quay bar you have many petiscos to go along with your wine, such as a great selection of Portuguese cheeses and Portuguese canned fish (sardines, mackerel, codfish and anchovies) and, naturally, our amazing smoked meats.
How to get there: São Bento train station is a 10 minutes walking distance.

Capela Incomum – Wine Bar

Travessa do Carregal, 77 | Porto

Capela Incomum is a cosy wine bar in Porto, and it has a rather unusual location: after all, it is built inside an old chapel that hasn’t been used for the past 50 years.
Given it’s intimate atmosphere, with candle lights and blues’ music, Capela Incomum is the perfect spot for a romantic date, and for those looking for a first wine tasting in Porto.
This wine bar has a short – and a bit predictable – wine list, mostly focused on wines from the Douro Valley. Here you can also find a few sparkling wines, green wines and also Port wine (even though from a single main stream brand – what a pity). To go along, you can pick some home made bruschettas, cheeses and sausages.
Capela Incomum may not be the best spot for wine connaisseurs, but it’s still a great choice for a wonderful night in Porto.
How to get there: Aliados subway station is a 10 minutes walking distance.

Prova – Porto Wine Bar

Rua de Ferreira Borges, 86 | Porto

Prova is yet another perfect wine bar for an intimate date in Porto.
Located right next to the red ironed Ferreira Borges market, this beautiful and discrete wine bar offers a small yet careful selection of wines (ranging from 4€ – 10€ / glass), as well as a superb cheese board.
At this place you can really ask the waiter for an advice on what wine to drink according to your palate, something that unfortunately is not that common in the city. For this particular reason, Prova is one of the best spots to make an introductory wine tasting in Porto.
How to get there: São Bento train station is a 10 minutes walking distance.

Páteo das Flores

Rua das Flores, 135 | Porto

Páteo das Flores is probably the fanciest wine bars in Porto. It basically consists of a small room at the entrance (the wine bar), that leads to a spectacular dining room with a skylight. Regardless of its beauty and elegance, I think the food is way too expensive and pretentious, so I just go there to do wine tastings.
At Páteo das Flores you will find more than a hundred Portuguese wines (whites, reds, rosés, sparkling, Port wines and late harvests, 16 of them by the glass, starting at 4€), with 65% of them from the Douro region. There is still a short list of French non-commercial champagnes, the only foreign wines at this wine bar in Porto.
How to get there: São Bento train station is a 5 minutes walking distance.

Genuíno

Rua Miguel Bombarda, 78 | Porto

If you dig more the natural wines, then Genuíno is the best wine bar in Porto for you!

It is a cute little wine bar that serves natural wines (a couple of them by the glass), and great tapas to share. The food menu changes every week and it always includes a soup, some delicious tapas, a couple of main dishes and desserts. All the wines are natural, and surprisingly good (yes, I am quite suspicious of natural wines in general :P). Moreover, the owners of Genuíno are genuinely happy to meet their customers.

Genuíno is growing very popular with locals and it has some strange opening hours, so I recommend you to book a table before heading there.

How to get there: Lapa and Aliados subway stations are a 15 minutes walking distance.

Mirajazz

Escadas do Caminho Novo, 11 | Porto

I have mixed feelings about Mirajazz. It has a great location, with a large terrace facing the Douro river, where you can watch a beautiful sunset with the sound of Jazz music.
However, the wine list is rather short – 10 white wines and 9 red wines, as well as a couple of Ports from Graham’s -, and there are not many options to go along with the wines (only a couple of toasts, a cheese option and a smoked meat one).
Therefore, I would say that this is a good spot to grab an easy drink after work, with your friends.
How to get there: São Bento train station is a 10 minutes walking distance.

3. What about buying wines in Porto?

If you would like to do a more unpretentious or intimate wine tasting in Porto, you might as well just buy a good bottle of wine at a wine store or at the supermarket.
Regarding wine stores, you can find good Portuguese wines at the traditional groceries stores in Porto, as well as at wine stores such as Gota a Gota or Universo Carmim.
If you don’t want to take the time to go to a wine store, you can simply go to the supermarkets – it is possible to find some really good value for the money wines! And, of course, I am here to help you pick some 🙂
As for Douro wines that you can find in the supermarket, these are some red wines that you can easily find in the supermarket for 4€ – 10€:
As for Green Wines, my recommendations are:

• RUN AWAY from the most popular brands such as Gazela, Muralhas de Monção, Mateus Rosé, etc. These are not wines, they’re rubbish.

Above all, forget about the nonsense that Alvarinho is the best grape in the Green Wine Region, and that Touriga Nacional is the best in Portugal. Those dogmas make no sense. Be brave enough to try new flavours, new grape varieties, new regions: discover your own palate, go for great wine tastings in Porto, discover the amazing world of the Portuguese wines! 🙂

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