Taylor's Port

Who they are

Taylor's is one of the oldest port wine houses. It was founded in 1692 by Job Bearsley, an English merchant who began by selling red wine from the Minho before turning to port. The full name, Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman, dates from 1838, when John Fladgate and Morgan Yeatman signed the partnership in Porto; Taylor recalls Joseph Taylor, who gave the firm its name. The house says it has always remained independent. Today it is run by the descendants of the Yeatmans together with the Robertson and Guimaraens families: Adrian Bridge has been managing director since 2000 and David Guimaraens is the chief winemaker. Its website places it within The Fladgate Partnership and also promotes the hotel The Yeatman, in Gaia.

In the Douro it has its quintas, with Quinta de Vargellas at the head, bought from 1893. In Gaia it keeps its cellars, some 300 years old, at Rua do Choupelo, 250, in the upper part of the cellar district. They are registered in the Portuguese tourist-activity register under number RNAAT C-619/2016.

The cellar visit

The cellars have been renovated with a museum-style route that you follow at your own pace with an audioguide on your phone: you scan a QR code and choose from 13 languages, including Spanish, English, French, German, Italian and Portuguese. They recommend bringing your own headphones. The visit includes the tasting of three wines: the dry white Chip Dry, a Late Bottled Vintage and a 10-year-old tawny.

Separately, the tasting room offers paid experiences: tastings of old tawnies and vintage ports, some very old, the traditional opening of a vintage with tongs, port cocktails and a small cocktail workshop, personalised guided tastings with accompaniments, masterclasses and a tasting of the house's olive oils. In the shop they sell the whole range, including rare vintages. The website does not publish the price of the visit or the tastings on that page.

Hours and bookings

The cellars are open every day from 10:00 to 18:15, the tasting room from 10:00 to 19:30 and the shop from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00. Some holidays have different hours (23 June, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January), and the shop is closed on 25 December. The visit is booked on the website; for questions, [email protected] or +351 223 772 973. Only guide dogs are admitted to the cellars. The website does not state the cancellation policy or the minimum age for the tasting, which is worth asking about if you go with minors.