The rattle of ice cubes accompanies a soundtrack of sultry jazz. It’s aperitif time at Reserva Bar, the jewel-box bar at Porto’s Vinha Boutique Hotel, and similar to the décor – a customized tapestry by Portuguese heritage model Ferreira de Sá protecting the ceiling, the blood-red marble counter, banquettes upholstered in teal velvet – the cocktail record isn’t afraid to play with the classics.
Take their twist on a negroni. Crisp, barely saline and crystal-clear, the vermouth has been swapped for a extra patriotic tipple: Novak further dry white port.
The Glamourouse, in the meantime, is ready down in a cloud of cherry-scented smoke. It’s a part of the lodge’s new fashion-inspired drinks menu and combines Beluga Noble vodka, a rose, cherry and hibiscus infusion, and late-bottled classic (LBV) port. One more nod to town’s most well-known export.
Port sometimes conjures up photographs of ruddy-faced outdated males swilling glasses by the fireplace after dinner. You may need a bottle gathering mud within the cabinet, cracked into solely at Christmas alongside a hunk of stilton. However within the metropolis that gave its title to this fortified wine, mixologists and producers are on a mission to shake up the drink’s picture.
Certain, porto tonico has already turn out to be locals’ go-to sundowner (think about a much less alcoholic, barely sweeter G&T). However that’s simply the tip of the iceberg, says Vinha’s bar supervisor, Sara Losa.
‘Port’s such a flexible ingredient. Due to the totally different ages and sorts of port – from ruby, to tawny to white – you possibly can work with varied tastes and aromas. And naturally, port-based cocktails assist to maintain our traditions and roots alive,’ she provides.
This heritage could be traced again to the seventeenth century, when British retailers realised that including small quantities of grape brandy to wine meant it higher survived the lengthy journey dwelling. The sweet-toothed English public lapped up the product. Barrels had been borne on barges from the Douro Valley’s vineyards to the riverfront cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia.
As we speak, vacationers flock to this strip of port lodges to pattern flights of tawny and ruby ports. Cross the Luís I bridge to downtown Porto, nonetheless, and a brand new chapter of port’s story is underway. Bathed in pink neon mild, Rebel Port Club spills into the yard of idea retailer LOT [Labels of Tomorrow].
On the menu: a crisp, refreshing White Collins (Cockburn’s White Heights, apple and ginger) or sweet-and-sour Rosita (Graham’s Mix No12, grapefruit lime, rosemary and salt). The pop-up was launched by Symington Household Estates, proprietor of iconic port manufacturers corresponding to Graham’s, Dow’s and Cockburn’s, as a option to ‘present individuals there are not any limits or strict guidelines round how and the place it may be loved,’ says advertising supervisor Charlotte Symington. ‘It’s not simply after dinner with cheese.’
How about port together with your pizza, as an example? Neapolitan-born, Portugal-based Antonio Mezzero is so captivated with this pairing that he launched worldwide competitors World Stars Pizza & Port Wine, which sees international cooks teamed up with famend port producers. Head to his raved-about pizzeria Mezzero within the seaside suburb of Matosinhos to pattern some combos for your self.
If all this whets your urge for food for a deeper dive into the world of fortified wine, it’s now attainable to e-book a non-public tasting with the oldest port wine-making household, Van Zellers & Co.
14th-generation homeowners Cristiano and Joana host these bespoke lunches both on the household dwelling in Porto or a seventeenth century farmhouse deep within the Douro Valley, pouring out ideas (do you know most port is finest served barely chilled?) alongside some staggeringly outdated and uncommon vintages. Their casks maintain wines courting again to 1860, the yr Abraham Lincoln was elected.
Not that being within the enterprise of ageing means standing nonetheless. Removed from it. Some old-guard producers, corresponding to Sandeman and Crofts, are branching out into rosé ports or canned port tonics. In Van Zellers & Co’s case, the Portuguese coast has impressed their newest enterprise: the world’s first ocean-aged port.
Bottles of their 2020 classic are at the moment submerged 12m beneath the Atlantic, the place temperature, mild and strain ranges speed up the wine’s maturation. They’ll be retrieved this November and bought in packaging designed by eco-vegan footwear model Zouri Footwear out of ocean plastic particles. Propelled forwards by this subsequent technology of producers and bartending expertise, port’s future appears very candy certainly.
WHERE TO EAT IN PORTO
Don’t be fooled by the unassuming title ‘snacks’ on Cozinha das Flores’ menu; these bitesize morsels are scene-stealers, whether or not it’s the turnip natas (a savoury, caviar-topped spin of Portugal’s’ beloved custard tart) or indulgent king crab doughnuts. This restaurant is one thing of a homecoming for Nuno Mendes, he of Chiltern Firehouse fame, as his mom hails from northern Portugal. Childhood nostalgia for the area suffuses the dishes.
The dessert ‘Milk’, as an example, is a fragile, creamy meeting of textures remembered from his grandfather’s dairy farm, whereas native blue lobster upgrades the normal seafood moist rice. Equally comforting (and delightful to behold) is the black marble open kitchen with its wood-fired oven.
Adjoining 12-seater bar Flôr is equally adept at reimagining traditional Portuguese flavours. Living proof: a salt cod-infused gin cocktail. Don’t concern, it’s solely the saline essence, not fishy flavour, that’s captured within the tipple, with coriander, amaranth, apple and espelette pepper including complicated fruit and spice notes. The title could also be ‘Clichéd’, however this drink – and certainly your entire venue – is stuffed with unique aptitude.
WHERE TO STAY IN PORTO
Residing as much as its grandiose title, Le Monumental Palace is the Artwork Deco aristocrat of Porto resorts. Neighbours with Metropolis Corridor on the principle thoroughfare of Avenida dos Aliados, it’s inside stumbling distance of town’s coolest cocktail bars (particularly, Flor and Torta).
Jazz Age glamour’s alive and effectively throughout the interiors, which don’t shrink back from a natty sample – whether or not it’s the leopard print clad corridors or the library’s cherry blossom-emblazoned rugs. In any case these port tastings, the supremely cozy beds beckon for prolonged lie-ins and breakfast-in-bed.
Or decamp to aforementioned Vinha Boutique Hotel, the place an historic rose-hued mansion seamlessly blends with up to date glass extensions. Unfurling on the banks of the Douro, the lodge’s sprawling gardens and Sisley spa belie how straightforward it’s to succeed in town centre – whisked down the Douro in model aboard the complimentary boat shuttle service, no much less.
Bought a style for it? Pattern our full assortment of Porto hotels
Estella Shardlow is a contract journey author and editor whose work has appeared in The Instances, Suitcase, The Telegraph, Meals & Journey and extra.
