On the afternoon of the day we arrived in Porto we walked back, past the Cathedral (the official starting spot of the Portuguese Camino), across the bridge, and rode the Gondola down to the Port houses of Gaia. Since we'd not yet eaten lunch we stopped for a bite to eat - a hot dog, a Portuguese Nata Tart, a bottle of water (I was thirsty), a beer (for Sandy) and a Gin and Tonic (for me). It was hot, sunny and beautiful. Once we'd nourished ourselves we decided to try some of the Port houses we'd missed in the Spring. It didn't start so well. At Sandemann the tastings came with a tour of the caves where the Port is aged - there were no more tours available that day so we made a reservation for 10:30 the next morning...not sure whether that was a good omen, or just a bad idea. Leaving Sandeman we found a couple of houses that were more accommodating. We tried a flight of aged Ports at Calem, a flight of Tawny ports at Quinto ???, a third flight at Burmiester. Personally my favorite of them all was the 30 year Port at Calem. Each came with an explanation of the process of making Port, which in itself is interesting. There are small differences between the houses that make each version of Port unique. At Calem the waiter explained that the 10, 20 and 30 year old Ports were blends. In their version the Port could in fact be made of equal parts 18, 20 and 22 year old wines averaging out to a 20 year, for instance. Ruby Ports are aged in huge barrels and have less contact with the wood as they age; Tawny Ports are aged in smaller barrels giving them a "Tawny" colour and slightly different flavour over time. White Ports are aged in stainless steel vats and are a different taste - recommended as an aperitif rather than as a digestive (or after dinner drink). There are also vintage, late bottle vintage, colheita Ports each coming to our table in different ways. After three flights of wine, a bike ride, the walk to (and from the hotel ahead) it was time for a Seista. We crossed the river on the lower portion of the bridge and waited through several times of the funicular going up and down the hill. The funicular had been closed in the spring, and this time only one of the cars was working. The ticket to go up was four Euros but the stairs up the hill - the alternative - were not attractive in any way shape or form at this point in our day. We returned to the hotel where we enjoyed a buffet dinner and a good rest.
The next morning began with breakfast at the hotel and a repeat of the prior days walk into the River Valley. We needed to be at Sandeman for the 10:30 tour. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. The "caves" where the Port is aged are extensive and the information about the Ports was more detailed than many of the other tastings we've attended. Sandeman was formed in 1790 by an Scotsman in England with a taste for mateuse wine. It's now owned by a conglomerate that produces wine in Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Chili and a few other places. The houses on the banks of the Duoro have operated there since the beginning of the 19th Century continuously. The wine is brought down river from the vinyards about 100 kilometers away aged and stored in barrels, bottled and sold around the world. They have bottles of vintage Port that have been aging there since as early and 1909. On the doorway into the establishment are signs showing the levels water has reached during floods of the past 200 years - most recently in 2002. The tour give information about how the building is built to deal with the eventuality of the floods, and to maintain the constant temperatures and humidity that the aging wines need. The floor for instance is made of blocks of wood that can be soaked with water in the heat of the summer keeping the humidity up and cooling the building. Barrels of wine are tied by rope should floods seek to send them floating around the building. One becomes aware of just how extensive the Port houses of Gaia are when taking the Gondola above orange roofs that extend away from the river.
After our tour we wandered back to the Porto side of the river revisiting the areas we'd been in the spring. The Banksy exihibition that had opened during our visit in April had closed a few days before. We retraced our route and found our way to the Quevado Port House. Quevado produces the advent calendar that we have enjoyed each Advent the past few years. We shared a plate of cheeses and another flight of Ports. Taking the Gondola to the top of the bridge we went by the Cathedral where pictures were taken at the starting point of the Portuguese Camino. We stopped for dinner at a patio on the way home to the hotel where we prepared for the riding that would come the next day. I was particularly anxious about our plans as we left Porto. I anticipated that our ride would be through streets full of traffic. We had close to 10 kilometers from the hotel to the oceanside route which would move us north towards Santiago. I needed to be clear on the path as we moved through the city minimizing the need to stop to check our path. We discussed our plans for departure the next day and headed to bed.
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