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FijiFlavors · Vila Nova de Gaia
Fortified wine from the Porto denomination of origin, made with grapes from the Douro and linked to the cellars (caves) of Vila Nova de Gaia, where law concentrated the trade of this wine in 1926.
Traditional drink from Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto
Also known as: Porto, Port wine, Port
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Click a photo to enlarge it.
Vinho do Porto — Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
Port wine is a fortified wine: during fermentation, grape spirit is added to the must, which stops the yeast activity, preserves part of the grape's natural sugar and raises the alcohol content, usually between 19% and 22%. The result is a wine with varying degrees of sweetness that can age for decades.
The grapes come from the Demarcated Region of the Douro, inland in northern Portugal, where the vineyards climb the slopes in terraces. Vila Nova de Gaia, on the south bank of the Douro River opposite the city of Porto, became a historic center for the storage and trade of this wine. The name comes from the city from which the wine was shipped for export.
Gaia preserves the most visible part of that history. Merchants established their warehouses, called caves, along the quay. In 1926 the State created in Vila Nova de Gaia a single, exclusive entrepôt where Port wine companies were concentrated to control quality and prevent fraud. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto certifies the denomination and issues the guarantee seal.
Styles depend on ageing. Tawnies age in wood, gain a golden color and aromas of dried fruit; they can carry age indications of 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 years, or be a single vintage. Rubies age little in wood and retain bright color and fruit; at the top of that family is vintage, from a single exceptional year, which develops in the bottle. There is also white and rosé Port.
Many caves in Gaia welcome visitors, with explanations about ageing and a tasting at the end; check before you go. Port is served in a small glass, as an aperitif, with desserts or with cheeses.
Vila Nova de Gaia , Porto
The single entrepôt for Port Wine was created by law in Vila Nova de Gaia in 1926; it is in the city's caves that the wine ages.
Grapes from authorized varieties of the Demarcated Region of the Douro and grape spirit, which stops fermentation.
In a small glass. Whites, fresher, as an aperitif; tawny with desserts of dried fruits and egg-based sweets; ruby and vintage with cheeses and chocolate. Enjoyed in small measures.
All year round. Harvest in the Douro takes place between late summer and early autumn.
Your questions
Merchants' caves established themselves in Gaia, on the Douro bank opposite Porto, and in 1926 the law created a single entrepôt there for Port wine to control quality and prevent fraud.
Tawny ages in wood, gains a golden color and aromas of dried fruit. Ruby ages little in wood and retains bright color and fruit flavor; vintage, from a single year, is the top of that family.
No. The grapes and winemaking are from the Douro; the caves of Vila Nova de Gaia are a historical reference for ageing and trade. The name comes from the city from which it was shipped for export.
Flavors of Portugal
Stew of meats, sausages and vegetables cooked for hours in a pot buried next to the Furnas hot springs, using only the volcanic heat of the ground. A tradition from the island of São Miguel in the Azores.
Very moist sponge cake with an almost liquid center, eaten with a spoon. Made in Alfeizerão, in the municipality of Alcobaça, it is the region's best-known sweet according to Turismo de Portugal.
Suckling pig of one to one-and-a-half months, seasoned with garlic and pepper and roasted whole in a wood-fired oven until the skin becomes thin and crispy. Specialty of the Bairrada, centered in Mealhada, in the district of Aveiro.
Sweet of egg yolks and sugar syrup, served in painted wooden barrels or inside wafers shaped like sea motifs. It was the first Portuguese sweet with a protected geographical indication under European law.
Pudding of egg yolks, sugar and Port wine, with an unexpected ingredient: bacon. It was created in the 19th century by the abbot of Priscos, a parish of Braga, who was a banquet cook for the court.
Thick cut of Mirandesa-breed beef grilled over charcoal with only coarse salt. Turismo de Portugal identifies it as typical of the Miranda do Douro region, in the district of Bragança.
Meat from an old goat marinated in red wine with garlic and bay leaf and cooked for hours in a clay pot in a wood-fired oven. A dish from the mountain ranges of the Coimbra district, where Miranda do Corvo and Vila Nova de Poiares compete for the title of capital.
Half-moon of very thin pastry, baked in the oven, filled with a sweet made from egg yolks and almond. A convent sweet associated with the Mosteiro de Santa Clara, on the banks of the Mondego, in Coimbra.
Sweet made from egg yolks, milk, flour and cinnamon, baked in a clay dish until it cracks, served with Elvas plums in syrup. Eating sericaia with Elvas plums is one of Turismo de Portugal's recommendations for the city.
Almond paste sweet shaped like a loaf of bread, filled with egg sweet, chila and egg threads, served with marzipan olives. Created by the nuns of the Convento de Santa Helena do Calvário, in Évora.
Shellfish, fish or meat cooked in the copper two‑shell vessel that closes. Turismo de Portugal highlights clams in the cataplana among the traditional dishes of the Algarve.
Half-moon of puff pastry filled with egg sweet, almond and chila, brushed with sugar syrup. A legacy of the nuns of the former Convento de Santa Clara, now the seat of the Câmara de Guimarães.
Sweet made of egg threads, egg sweet, almond and cinnamon, wrapped in colored metallic paper. Tradition links its creation to the old Carmelite convent of Lagos, in the Algarve.
Leavened bread dough filled with ham, salpicón, meat in vinha-d'alhos or cod, baked in a wood-fired oven. It is the specialty that Turismo de Portugal recommends trying in Lamego.
Small sweet made of eggs, sugar and almond, cooked in a bain-marie, soft and glossy. Emblematic of Leiria’s confectionery, listed in the official catalogue of traditional products.
Pastry made with puff pastry filled with an egg-yolk, milk and sugar custard, eaten hot with cinnamon. Lisbon's official tourism presents it as the city's most emblematic sweet.
Pieces of beef seasoned with garlic, coarse salt and bay leaf, skewered on laurel sticks and grilled over embers. It is one of the most emblematic dishes of Madeira’s traditional cuisine, present at festivals and gatherings.
Fortified wine from the Madeira designation of origin, made from grapes grown on terraced vineyards on volcanic soil and aged with heat, either by estufagem or in casks. It has been exported for centuries.
Ginja liqueur, an acidic cherry from the region, served in small chocolate cups that are eaten afterwards. Tasting ginjinha in a chocolate cup is one of the things Turismo de Portugal recommends in Óbidos.
Sandwich made with sliced sandwich bread and meats, topped with melted cheese and bathed in a hot tomato-and-beer sauce. It originated in Porto in the 20th century and is a common sight in the city's cafés.
Veal tripe stew with cured meats, white beans and carrot, served with rice. It is a historic Porto dish and the reason people from Porto are called tripeiros.
Hearty bean soup with pork and beef cuts, sausages and vegetables, served with a stone at the bottom of the pot. It is a traditional specialty guaranteed by the European Union and associated with Almeirim, in the district of Santarém.
Strips of choco coated in flour and fried until golden, served with lemon and french fries. It is one of the dishes most associated with the city of Setúbal, where the City Council holds a gastronomic week dedicated to choco.
Fortified (liqueur) wine from Moscatel grapes, from the Setúbal designation of origin, with a demarcated region since 1907 in the municipalities of Setúbal, Palmela and Montijo and part of Sesimbra.
Small tart with a thin, crisp pastry filled with fresh cheese, egg yolks, sugar and cinnamon. The Câmara de Sintra presents it as the oldest sweet in the town's gastronomy.
Slices of egg yolks beaten for a long time, cooked in a bain-marie in a special pan and soaked in sugar syrup. A convent sweet from Tomar, traditionally linked to the Convento de Cristo.
Rice cooked with pork, beef and chicken, pork blood and spices, served with rojões and sausages. The Municipality of Ponte de Lima, in the district of Viana do Castelo, calls it the hallmark of its gastronomy.
Crescent of crisp puff pastry filled with minced veal. It has a protected geographical indication from the European Union, with production restricted to the municipality of Chaves, in the district of Vila Real.
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