WOW! Porto: What A Corker!

“I didn’t recognise you with your clothes on,” I said, not quite sure how my one-liner would be received.

Fortunately, my new friend, a lady from Tennessee in the USA, burst out laughing, quickly reassuring the breakfast waiter: “It’s ok. We met in the hotel spa yesterday afternoon,” she said, pausing briefly before adding her own punchline, “with our costumes on,” she grinned.

We were in Porto, Portugal’s second city, and the two of us had had a chance meeting in The Yeatman’s luxurious Wine Spa, where a brief review of American politics had moved quickly to the subject of local tourism.

“I worked as a tour operator in Amsterdam for 20 years,” explained Allison, “but now I live in Cascais near Lisbon, although, I have to say, there’s a real feeling of déjà vu in Porto, as the world wakes up to the wonderful culture and architecture of this city.”

She said that its rapid rise in popularity had almost taken locals by surprise. “It’s like Groundhog Day because, over two decades, I saw Amsterdam go from a small, beautiful place of interest to the international playground that it is today.

“Here the same thing is happening. Residents had never previously heard the clatter of suitcase wheels on the cobbles, as visitors headed to their various hotels in the quiet of early morning, any more than they had witnessed surging property prices.”

But it has happened and continues apace. Indeed, hotels are as much a part of that continuing trend as the city’s newest ‘attractions’ themselves, none more so than in trendy Vila Nova de Gaia on the southern bank of the Douro River.

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• Lunchtime in the market at Vila Nova De Gaia

Here, The Yeatman, like so many of the world’s great hotels – The Ritz, The Carlton - eschews the word ‘hotel’ from its name, preferring to use adjectives, rather than nouns, to describe what few would disagree is one of Porto’s finest places for an extended, luxury stay.

Situated in the heart of the Cultural District on Rua Do Choupelo in Vila Nova De Gaia, the area dedicated to the ageing of port wine, it boasts one of the most complete collections of Portuguese vino in the world, with hundreds of people each sampling the ‘WOW’ factor in and around this bespoke property.

But, it is an acronym that contains a far bigger conversation than most in a city where the Dom Luis I Bridge, brainchild of Gustave Eiffel’s disciple, Theophile Seyrig, dominates the skyline of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

That’s because World of Wine, known simply as ‘WOW’, is also a euphemism for the wider Cultural District – 55,000 sqm of development - which not only represents more than €140 million euros of private investment by the Fladgate Partnership group, but only came into being as recently as the summer of 2020.

It is made up of no fewer than seven museums – some a little quirky - 12 restaurants - some exceptional – bars, cafes, a wine school, shops, exhibition space and, when I was there, no less a persona than surrealist, Salvador Dali whose life was conveniently summarised at The Atkinson Museum.

Built after the restoration and requalification of old Port wine cellars, WOW embraces the story of Portuguese wine, the ‘glass’ ritual and cork industry but, more than that, the wider project, originally classified as being of Potential National Interest, was also born from the ambition to increase tourist attraction capacity within a sustainability framework.

That goes some way to explaining its ‘softer’ family appeal because, in 2024, the wider offer now includes Porto’s very own ‘Willy Wonka’ factory within The Chocolate Story…

…. where adults can fine tune their tastebuds with a chocolate tasting session, while their kids marvel at production and even play on fairground ‘choc grab’ machines!

The Pink Palace Experience, which explains the history and science behind the production of rosé wine, also enables adults to partake, courtesy of sample bracelets, whilst at the same time offering children the opportunity for lots of Instagram photos: posing in a full-size pink Cadillac…..

….. being turned into a popping champagne cork, or simply learning the art of wallowing in a bath of bubbles!

For the more serious there is the fascinating Planet Cork story. Portugal is the largest cork producer in the world, responsible for more than 50% of global production and, via this interactive museum, you can learn about production methods, watch videos, check out the replica of a giant cork oak tree and even stroll along a fashion catwalk!

WOW is a well thought out, integrated complex where various exhibitions work seamlessly together: there’s wine and chocolate, corks and rosé, a wine school and even the CEO of WOW, Adrian Bridge, has made his precious 2,000-strong collection of wine glasses and containers available to the world via ‘The Bridge Collection’.

And, then there’s the shops and food……

Tickle your tastebuds at Mira Mira by Ricardo Costa – The Yeatman’s Executive Chef who helped the hotel’s Gastronomic Restaurant achieve two Michelin stars.

Steak can be found at 1828 restaurant, after hours brunch at Root&Vine, posh fish and chips at Golden Catch and typically Portuguese fare at T&C, the name of the restaurant also a tribute to the wine and history of the building which was owned by the Thomson & Croft families. There you can dine in a huge port wine cask!

“Wow, this is nice,” I said to myself. Me and my colleagues had travelled 90 minutes into the heart of the Douro Valley wine producing region and, at that moment, were being housed for the night in another stunning hotel, The Vintage House at Pinhao.

Bags left in our rooms; we were soon on our way to the Quinta Do Panascal winery where 10,000 thousand tonnes of grapes a year are crushed….

…when they can get the 200 seasonal staff required: like so many producers, finding the right people to lead the six-week harvest is becoming increasingly difficult for this producer, part of the Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman partnership, which embraces the Croft, Fonseca & Taylor brands.

The Quinta Da Roeda winery, nearby, felt slightly less authentic than Panascal, somehow more geared up to mass coach tourism, but is still a bona fide producer and located within a backdrop that most would die for to visit!

“Your plane doesn’t leave Porto until 9.50pm” said one of my colleagues. I had been the first to arrive and now, three days on, and back in Porto, I would be the last to leave.

However, I was no longer an ‘official’ guest in one of The Yeatman’s 109 rooms, each named after one of the hotel’s Portuguese wine partners, but they had let me deposit myself in the lounge and grab a sandwich and a drink before my airport taxi arrived at 7.30pm.

Just enough time to walk across the Dom Luis I Bridge, I thought, for another whistlestop tour, only this time alone!

There’s as much to see again in the main town: the wonderful other worldly Livraria Lello bookshop, said to have inspired J.K. Rowling…

….the Cathedral, Porto's Sao Bento railway station with its traditional, blue Portuguese tile mosaics and the incredible former stock exchange building, the Palacio da Bolsa.

It had been a double quick tour of Porto, Vila Nova De Gaia and the Douro Valley.

As I sat on the plane about to take off for Manchester Airport, I made ready to close my eyes for a well-earned nap. My body just wanted to say ‘phew’. But somehow, my brain came up with a better word: Just WOW! I slept soundly.

FAST FACTS
Experiences & Restaurants – Porto
WOW
The Chocolate Story; The Wine Experience; The Golden Catch (restaurant); Planet Cork; The Atkinson Museum; Pink Palace; Mira Mira by Ricardo Costa (restaurant).
……..all can be found at: www.wow.pt
Hotels
The Yeatman, Porto: www.the-yeatman-hotel.com
The Vintage House at Pinhao in the Douro Valley: www.vintagehousehotel.com
Wineries – Porto & Douro Valley
Quinta do Panascal: www.fonseca.pt/en/vineyards-and-douro/quinta-panascal
Quinta da Rôeda: www.croftport.com/
Porto Tourism
www.visitporto.travel