The Port Lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia

Port is made in the Douro Valley, but for centuries it has been aged, blended and shipped from Vila Nova de Gaia, the town facing Porto across the river. Here, on the slopes rising from the waterfront, the great port houses built their lodges, long stone warehouses where the cooler, damper air off the Atlantic lets the wine mature slowly in pipes and huge oak vats. The names on the rooftops read like a history of the trade: British families such as Taylor's, Graham's, Cockburn's and Sandeman, and Portuguese houses such as Ferreira and Cálem, many of them still selling from the same buildings. Visiting a lodge is the single most essential thing to do in Porto, and the formula is simple: a tour of the cellars, where you learn how port is fortified with grape spirit to stop fermentation and keep its sweetness, and how ruby, tawny, vintage and white ports differ, followed by a tasting. Taylor's, founded in 1692 and one of the oldest houses still trading, is our first choice: its lodge sits up the hill on Rua do Choupelo, with a self-guided audio tour through the vaulted cellars, a tasting of its wines, and a garden terrace where peacocks wander and the view takes in the whole of old Porto. Tickets are timed, sell out in busy periods and are best booked ahead. Then, if you have the appetite, compare a second house with a guided tour lower down by the river, or explore the WOW cultural district next door to Taylor's, where museums on wine, port, cork, chocolate and rosé sit around a plaza of restaurants and bars.

Understanding what you are tasting makes the visit. The grapes are grown on the steep schist terraces of the Upper Douro, where the summers are scorching; after harvest, the fermenting wine is fortified with grape spirit, which stops fermentation while plenty of natural sugar remains. Historically, the young wine came down the river in rabelo boats and was aged here in Gaia, and although road transport took over long ago, the lodges remain the heart of the trade. Ruby ports age briefly in large vats and taste of fresh red fruit; tawny ports spend years in smaller casks, turning amber and nutty; vintage ports are made from a single exceptional year and age mostly in the bottle; white and rosé ports are often drunk chilled or with tonic as an aperitif. A good tasting will set two or three styles side by side so you can taste the difference.

Choosing your lodge: there are many, and most offer a standard tour with two or three wines plus premium options with older tawnies or vintages. Taylor's self-guided format suits independent travellers who like to go at their own pace; houses with guided tours suit those who want questions answered. Graham's, high on the hill, has one of the finest views and a well-regarded restaurant; Sandeman and Cálem are right on the waterfront and easy to combine with the Ribeira. Tours typically last under an hour plus the tasting, and there are minimum age rules for tasting, though children can usually join the tour. Pace yourself: two lodges in a day is plenty, and many visitors prefer one excellent tasting to several hurried ones.

Making a day of Gaia: cross the lower deck of the Luís I Bridge from the Ribeira, stroll the waterfront with its moored rabelo boats, and climb to your lodge for the tour. Afterward, ride the Gaia cable car along the riverbank for a gentle aerial view, or walk up to the Serra do Pilar terrace for sunset over the old town. The WOW district, a former warehouse quarter turned into a cultural complex, offers museums and restaurants for a rainy afternoon. Buy bottles at the lodge if you find something you love; many houses will ship, and prices for older wines can be better than at home.