Port Wine Museum

The history of Port Wine

Port wine is the soul of the whole region of Porto and Douro. Without it, certainly, the city would not be as well known in the world as it is today.

Since the 17th century, Port is the main Portuguese exported wine. Its production has been adjusted and improved throughout the centuries, and our loyal costumers, all overseas are glad to prove it.

In 1756, Marquis of Pombal created the “Real Companhia dos Vinhos do Alto Douro”, to preserve the quality of Port. The Douro Valley is since then the first protected designation of origin (PDO) region in the world. In fact, Douro Valley is a World Heritage Site, protected by UNESCO, since 2001.

The Port Wine Museum (Museu do Vinho do Porto), housed in an old 18th century warehouse, opened in 2004 and is a tribute to the Port Wine long tradition. The museum is located a few yards from Alfândega, towards Massarelos, in Cais das Pedras, just by the river, in a beautiful environment that reminds us of the late 18th century.

In the museum, you can see how wine is made, its history, its past and its present. Antique pieces related to the production and transport of wine, details about stories around the wine, everything is available at Museu do Vinho do Porto (Port Wine Museum). Wine bottles as old as 200 years old, old labels, ancient wardrobe of the wine producers, the transport ships through the Douro, everything is on display at the museum and it’s really worth the visit.

With luck, you might even try a bit of Port, just to warm up a little bit or have a toast to your journey. If not, you can always buy some bottles to take back home.

You can also head to Gaia and visit the wine cellars. Have a Port at Graham’s or just enjoy the view of Ribeira from Gaia’s promenade.