Cave Calem Tour And Port Tasting

Port wine is made in the Douro valley, but for more than three centuries it has been aged and sold from the lodges on the south bank of the river at Vila Nova de Gaia, opposite Porto, and a visit to one of them is part of the Porto experience. Caves Cálem is among the best known. The firm was founded in 1859 by António Alves Cálem, and its cellars are on the waterfront, a short walk from the Dom Luís I Bridge, in an area where rows of whitewashed lodges bear the names of the great Port houses in large letters on their roofs.

The lodges are in Gaia rather than in the valley for historical reasons. The cooler, damper air near the Atlantic suits the slow ageing of wine in barrels, and in the 17th and 18th centuries English and Scottish merchants set up their warehouses here, close to the quays where barrels arrived by river on flat-bottomed rabelo boats. Many of the great names of Port still have English origins. Cálem is a Portuguese family firm, and its history is told in a small museum at the start of the tour, with displays on the Douro valley, the harvest, and the techniques of production.

In the museum and the cellars the guide explains what makes Port distinctive. Fermentation is stopped part-way by the addition of grape spirit, which leaves natural sugar in the wine and raises the alcohol to around twenty per cent. The wine is then aged in oak barrels or large casks, where it gains its character. The tour shows the dark, cool lodges with rows of barrels, and explains the different styles: white Port, young ruby, long-aged tawny with its nutty flavours, late-bottled vintage, and vintage Port from the best years. A tasting follows, usually of two or three wines, with options for more extensive flights, and visitors can compare the styles side by side.

A feature that sets the experience apart is live fado, the melancholy Portuguese song, sung by a performer in the cellars during some tours, with a guitar accompanying, which adds an atmospheric note to the tasting. Check which tours include it, and book in advance, particularly in summer.

The lodge can be reached on foot across the lower deck of the bridge from the Ribeira, and the walk along the quay offers views of Porto. The tour takes about an hour. It suits wine lovers, couples, and anyone curious about Port, and it is best followed by a stroll along the river.