 Durant
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Porto, PortugalPage 2
ABOVE: Port lodges with barcos rabelos at anchor in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river from Porto's city center. Porto's lifeblood: Port wineJust as Bordeaux is celebrated for claret and Champagne is known for sparkling wine, Porto was made famous by port--now labeled "Porto" on bottles of the genuine product, thanks to misappropriation of the name "port" by wine factories in the U.S., South Africa, Australia, and other countries where lawmakers have little respect for geography or wine.
Experts disagree on whether port was invented by Portuguese or British winemakers, although one story holds that the British discovered port when two English merchants tasted an unfamiliar wine in a Lamego monastery in 1678. (Portwine.com's history page and a Wikipedia article have more tidbits about Porto's favorite tipple.)
Today, tanker trucks bring wine to the port lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia, and the barcos rabelos exist solely for advertising, nostalgia, and the occasional race. But port is still blended and aged in much the same way as it was 300 years ago, and the dozen and a half port lodges continue to bear English and Scottish names such as Cockburn, Taylors, Graham's, and Sandeman (along with Portuguese brands such as Cálem and Ferreira that are prized by connoisseurs in the domestic market).
Next page: Sightseeing, excursions
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Port
is a wine whose origins are lost in history. Like sherry and madeira, it's a
fortified wine, which means that neutral brandy is added during fermentation to
stop the conversion of sugars into alcohol. The result is a semi-sweet or sweet
wine with an intense fruit flavor that's best served as an apéritif,
with dessert or cheeses, or after a meal. (To learn about the different types of
port, see the "
What
is certain is that the British made Porto's fortified wine into a major
export industry. Traders from the British Isles established wine lodges in Vila
Nova de Gaia, on the sunny side of the Douro River opposite Porto's historic
center. Boats called barcos rabelos brought newly-made wines from upriver
to the wine lodges for blending and aging, and ships carried the finished
product to Britain for distribution throughout the Empire.
Tip:
You can tour many of the port wine lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia. (There's often a
small admission fee, which may be refunded if you purchase a bottle.) See my
