Today we started our day around 9:30 am. We walked to Vila Nova de Gaia which is across the river and where all the port cellars are. It was nice in the morning as there were few tourists out. From there we took a 1 hour boat tour down the Douro and over to where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. I am amazed at how many old dilapidated houses are around the river. Instead of taking them down, they just let the grass and ivy take over.
After our boat tour we went to the Ramos Pinto port cellar for a tour and tasting. The grapes are grown further east on the Douro and the wine is made there as well. It is then sent to the cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia to be stored in wine barrels. White and Ruby port is stored in the very large barriques while tawny port is stored in the smaller barrels. We then tasted a white, ruby and tawny port. All 7 years old.
After the tasting, two 1965 VW buses came to get us and took us about 30 minutes from Porto for a picnic lunch in a wooded area near the ocean. As we rode in the buses, we were very popular. People were waving, taking pictures and on the highway, cars would honk their horns. It was quite a fun experience.
The picnic area was also very relaxing. We went back to the hotel for an hour before heading out for dinner. We went to Restaurant Traca near our hotel. Our server Andrea was amazing! The food was very good. I had the beef cheeks. Although the people who had fish were not as impressed. So it is likely more of a meat restaurant.
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