Porto's sweet success
The city of Porto, in Northern Portugal, has been on our destination wish-list since a Portuguese wine tasting a few years ago. The setting, food, and most importantly the port, created a picture in our minds that we wanted to explore.
Porto is situated in the Duoro Valley and is the official home of port. The vineyards are further east of Porto, along the Duoro, all the way to the Spanish border. It is such a great location for producing port because the valley protects the vines from the cold, creating an ideal micro-climate. The soil is made up mainly of slate, and this absorbs the heat of the sun during the day, and gives it off at night. The result is fairly constant temperatures for the vines which optimises the grape's sugar concentration.
The trip from the airport, north-west of Porto, to our central hotel was an easy one - a 30 minute metro ride, followed by a short walk to the 2* Hotel Malaposta. The hotel seemed perfectly adequate, and with a busy weekend ahead, we decided to get some sleep. If friday night's rest failed to renew our energy stores, the hotel coffee most certainly did. We bounced out on saturday morning, and strolled down the narrow streets to Torres Dos Clerigos, the tallest tower in all of Portugal with views over the whole of Porto, the Duoro River, and the city of Gaia (across the river). Looking out into the distance I couldn't help noticing the names of the big port houses.
Our self-guided tour then took us past the Se Cathedral, an impressive structure built above Ribeira (the old district), and on to the Church of San Francisco, which is decorative extravagance at it's best. We arrived at the river's edge, and were tempted into joining a '5 bridges boat cruise'. One thing that stands out in Porto is the architecture, and the quality and quantity of bridges crossing the valley is a good example of this. One such bridge is the wrought-iron Dom Luis 1, built by a disciple of Gustav Eiffel. Our cruise took around an hour, and it was a great way to see not only the river, the valley and the bridges, but also to appreciate the way that Porto and it's neighbours fit together. An added bonus to the cruise was that it included a tour and tasting at Calem Cellars. The afternoon of port endulgence was about to begin, but not before some lunch. We found a canteen-like local hangout where I decided to try the Francesinha, one of the 3 local specialities I had set myself the task of tasting. I ordered, and the waiter, who had a concerned look about him, told me that it was a very spicy dish. I told him that I had never tried it before, but that I should be OK. How was he to know that I was a curry-munching Durban boy who isn't even afraid of the hottest Bunny Chow. The dish is like a glorified steak sandwhich, with spicy sausage, ham, cheese, and a special sauce. As far as spice goes, it was a bit on the mild side, but very enjoyable nonetheless.
Our afternoon was spent exploring the streets of Gaia, touring cellars and tasting port. We visited Croft, Ferreira, Calem and Offley, and discovered some of the secrets of these port producing guru's. Although slightly on the repetitive side, the tours were incredibly interesting, with each one offering a free tasting at the end. Our highlight was Ferreira, with an informative tour, attractive cellars, and wonderful port.
After a few hours in port heaven, we made our way back through Porto and up onto a hill. The strenous 45 minute walk took us to Solar do Vinho do Porto, a bar that I had read about. With a menu of port that brought tears to my eyes, and a view of the valley to match, it was the perfect place to relax and contemplate the days activities.
Our contemplation was not attending to the call of my stomach, so we made our way back down into Porto, to a small restaurant overlooking the river. My second local dish was the Tripas a' Moda do Porto, which is a very rich stew of tripe, beans and sausage. Extremely wholesome and moreish, the ideal way to settle a port filled interior. Jackie's grilled sole was done to perfection, and our meal and surroundings could not have been better.
The weather on sunday was overcast and drizzly, and we welcomed a relaxed start to the day. After breakfast we jumped on the hop-on/off bus tour, but decided not to do too much hopping. We completed the whole route, which took us out of Porto and along the coast, in about an hour and a half. The temptation of port was too strong, and we once again found ourselves sipping on the magic potion. We were not alone. It seemed that every local and their family was doing the same thing. I reckon the Portuguese have got something good, with a true appreciation of the importance of family time.
My 3rd and final local dish was Bacalhau, or salted and dried codfish. A dish not specific to Porto, but famous throughout Portugal, mainly eaten around Christmas time. It had been cooked over coals with a little olive oil and garlic, and was served with raw onion, tomato and boiled potatoes. Without a doubt, my favourite.
The Douro Valley that protects it's vines from the elements does the same for the character and charm of Porto. A fantastic short-break destination, with true Portuguese culture and the art of port-making at it's very best.
Porto is situated in the Duoro Valley and is the official home of port. The vineyards are further east of Porto, along the Duoro, all the way to the Spanish border. It is such a great location for producing port because the valley protects the vines from the cold, creating an ideal micro-climate. The soil is made up mainly of slate, and this absorbs the heat of the sun during the day, and gives it off at night. The result is fairly constant temperatures for the vines which optimises the grape's sugar concentration.
The trip from the airport, north-west of Porto, to our central hotel was an easy one - a 30 minute metro ride, followed by a short walk to the 2* Hotel Malaposta. The hotel seemed perfectly adequate, and with a busy weekend ahead, we decided to get some sleep. If friday night's rest failed to renew our energy stores, the hotel coffee most certainly did. We bounced out on saturday morning, and strolled down the narrow streets to Torres Dos Clerigos, the tallest tower in all of Portugal with views over the whole of Porto, the Duoro River, and the city of Gaia (across the river). Looking out into the distance I couldn't help noticing the names of the big port houses.
Our self-guided tour then took us past the Se Cathedral, an impressive structure built above Ribeira (the old district), and on to the Church of San Francisco, which is decorative extravagance at it's best. We arrived at the river's edge, and were tempted into joining a '5 bridges boat cruise'. One thing that stands out in Porto is the architecture, and the quality and quantity of bridges crossing the valley is a good example of this. One such bridge is the wrought-iron Dom Luis 1, built by a disciple of Gustav Eiffel. Our cruise took around an hour, and it was a great way to see not only the river, the valley and the bridges, but also to appreciate the way that Porto and it's neighbours fit together. An added bonus to the cruise was that it included a tour and tasting at Calem Cellars. The afternoon of port endulgence was about to begin, but not before some lunch. We found a canteen-like local hangout where I decided to try the Francesinha, one of the 3 local specialities I had set myself the task of tasting. I ordered, and the waiter, who had a concerned look about him, told me that it was a very spicy dish. I told him that I had never tried it before, but that I should be OK. How was he to know that I was a curry-munching Durban boy who isn't even afraid of the hottest Bunny Chow. The dish is like a glorified steak sandwhich, with spicy sausage, ham, cheese, and a special sauce. As far as spice goes, it was a bit on the mild side, but very enjoyable nonetheless.
Our afternoon was spent exploring the streets of Gaia, touring cellars and tasting port. We visited Croft, Ferreira, Calem and Offley, and discovered some of the secrets of these port producing guru's. Although slightly on the repetitive side, the tours were incredibly interesting, with each one offering a free tasting at the end. Our highlight was Ferreira, with an informative tour, attractive cellars, and wonderful port.
After a few hours in port heaven, we made our way back through Porto and up onto a hill. The strenous 45 minute walk took us to Solar do Vinho do Porto, a bar that I had read about. With a menu of port that brought tears to my eyes, and a view of the valley to match, it was the perfect place to relax and contemplate the days activities.
Our contemplation was not attending to the call of my stomach, so we made our way back down into Porto, to a small restaurant overlooking the river. My second local dish was the Tripas a' Moda do Porto, which is a very rich stew of tripe, beans and sausage. Extremely wholesome and moreish, the ideal way to settle a port filled interior. Jackie's grilled sole was done to perfection, and our meal and surroundings could not have been better.
The weather on sunday was overcast and drizzly, and we welcomed a relaxed start to the day. After breakfast we jumped on the hop-on/off bus tour, but decided not to do too much hopping. We completed the whole route, which took us out of Porto and along the coast, in about an hour and a half. The temptation of port was too strong, and we once again found ourselves sipping on the magic potion. We were not alone. It seemed that every local and their family was doing the same thing. I reckon the Portuguese have got something good, with a true appreciation of the importance of family time.
My 3rd and final local dish was Bacalhau, or salted and dried codfish. A dish not specific to Porto, but famous throughout Portugal, mainly eaten around Christmas time. It had been cooked over coals with a little olive oil and garlic, and was served with raw onion, tomato and boiled potatoes. Without a doubt, my favourite.
The Douro Valley that protects it's vines from the elements does the same for the character and charm of Porto. A fantastic short-break destination, with true Portuguese culture and the art of port-making at it's very best.
posted by Brad at 03:16
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home