Oh Porto!

Last weekend we took advantage of Ryan Air's new route Marseille-Porto for a little 4-day get-away with our good friends Peter and Lucy.  What a great trip! I highly recommend a few days in Porto.  We had a great day winding (and boy do I mean winding) our way up the Douro valley.  It was a holiday weekend in Portugal so most of the wineries were closed, but we did manage to taste at one winery, Quinta do Vallado.  Their reds are big and extracted and spend 18 months in new oak, which is not exactly my style, but they were good wines to say the least.  Apparently the grandfather of the people who currently run the winery has always made a small amount of port; one day they realized they had more than they could ever drink, so they decided to start blending and bottling it. I have to say it was my favorite wine. They make both 10 and 20 year old tawny port. Delish!

Sunday morning we woke up to pouring rain so we spent a luxurious day at our hotel sitting in front of the fire reading books and playing pool.  Now isn't that civilised?  I can't remember a better day,  reading and relaxing absolutely guilt free.  Late that afternoon we returned to Porto (by the freeway this time!).  Monday we decided to make the obligatory visit to one of the Port houses, sort of a Napa-esque winery visit and complimentary tasting.  One of those things we all do once, but won't repeat again.  We went to Taylors, where they have endless cellars full of barrels and casks and more barrels, all filled with port aging to perfection. 

The town of Porto seems lost in time,  oozing with old European charm.  The city hasn't yet been taken over by multi-national chain stores and restaurants.  Salt cod, a staple of the Portuguese diet is available in seemingly every store! (see photo above)  There is a wonderful central food market with amazing fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, meats and fish of all kinds. The river is lined with cafes and restaurants and you can just imagine the boats coming down the river filled with barrels of port to be delivered to the various houses for blending and aging.   All in all, a wonderful weekend destination, full of culture, history, and most importantly, great food and wine.