As my interest in wine has grown over the years, and my wanderlust has blossomed, the need to seek out the birthplace of certain styles of wine has been on my mind. We had such an opportunity last October. Working for a wine retailer, there are often opportunities to do tastings with your colleagues that are put on by the representatives for specific brands or vineyards. As was the case last year when I had the good fortune to meet Cynthia Opsal, Brand Ambassador for Taylor-Fladgate. I looked to her for advice and suggestions as to where to stay, where to go and most definitely, what to do. Her knowledge and breadth of understanding, as she attends the head office there on a regular basis, was very much appreciated. Not only did she set us up to do the self-directed tour of the Taylor-Fladgate Museum (audio with periodic video), followed by a tasting of 6 of Taylor-Fladgate’s delicious Ports (Taylor’s Chip Dry White Port, Late Bottled Vintage 2018, Vintage Port 2003, 20-Year-Old Tawny Port, 30-Year-Old Tawny Port and then the pinnacle of The Golden Age – 50-Year-Old Tawny Port). My personal preference, for a Port that hits all the right notes and doesn’t break the bank? Taylor’s 20-Year-Old Tawny. We spent the better part of the day touring the museum, then had a leisurely lunch at a nearby restaurant. If you are looking for five-star accommodation literally steps from Taylor-Fladgate, look no further than The Yeatman Hotel, which is owned by Taylor-Fladgate. It has uncompromising views of the city of Porto (which is across the river from Vila Nova de Gaia where Taylor-Fladgate, and all the Port Houses are), the Douro River and the many bridges that make up its skyline. As this was out of our budget, we opted to seek out a quaint studio apartment that was reasonably close to everything. Personal note – while not nearly as hilly as Lisbon (or so I have heard), bring good walking shoes. Uber was super affordable, and the drivers were exceptional. When I was researching where to stay, and things to do, I utilized both Viator and Expedia – just watch for cancellation policies. Do your research.
Within the immediate vicinity of Taylor-Fladgate there is a place called WOW – World of Wine (https://www.wow.pt/). This is a museum with no less than six museums within it – The Chocolate Story, Pink Palace (all about Rosé), Planet Cork, Porto Region Across the Ages, The Bridge Collection and The Wine Experience. We saved the WOW museum for another day. More to follow…
