What to do · Porto and the Douro
Taylor's port wine cellars in Gaia
Information
- Duration
- 1 h 30
- Season
- All year, daily; cellar 10:00 to 18:15
- Who it's for
- Adults; minors do not taste the wine
What it is
Port wine is made in the Douro valley, but for centuries it has aged in Vila Nova de Gaia, on the opposite bank from the Ribeira, in cellars where it rests in casks and barrels. Taylor's, one of the historic port houses, opens its own, at the top of the Gaia hill, with a self-guided visit and a tasting at the end.
What the visit involves
It is a self-guided visit: on entering you scan a QR code and listen on your phone to an audio guide available in 13 languages. Bring your own headphones. You walk through the ageing halls, among huge vats and rows of barrels, and the audio guide explains how port is made, what sets a tawny apart from a vintage and the history of the house.
At the end you taste three wines included in the visit:
- Chip Dry, a dry white port.
- Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), a red from a single harvest.
- 10-year-old tawny, aged in wood.
If you want more, in the tasting room you can add older tawnies and vintages, watch how a vintage is opened with red-hot tongs, have cocktails, take guided tastings with pairings, masterclasses or an olive-oil tasting. The shop sells the whole Taylor's range.
Opening hours
- Cellar: 10:00 to 18:15 every day.
- Tasting room: 10:00 to 19:30 every day.
On public holidays the hours change; for example, on 23 June, the eve of St John, the cellar closes at 15:00. Check the website before you go on special dates.
Price and booking
Taylor's website does not publish the price of the visit on its page; you see it when you book. Book on its website or write to [email protected]. In high season, book ahead to choose your time.
How long to allow
Allow an hour and a half: an hour for the audio-guided tour and half an hour for the tasting. If you add extra tastings, a little more.
Getting there
It is at Rua do Choupelo 250, in Vila Nova de Gaia. From the Ribeira, walk across the lower deck of the Luís I bridge, walk along the Gaia quay and climb the hill inland: it takes about fifteen or twenty minutes, the last stretch steep. You can take a taxi to save the climb.
It fits well with the six bridges cruise, which leaves from the Gaia quay.
Minors, dogs and accessibility
Minors can do the tour with their parents, but do not taste the wine. Only guide dogs are admitted. If someone in your group is in a wheelchair, ask beforehand about access by writing to the cellar.
If you want to see where the wine is born
The Gaia cellars show the ageing; the vineyards are upriver. To see them, take the train to Pinhão and visit a quinta such as Quinta do Bomfim.
Tips
- Bring headphones The audio guide plays on your phone; with headphones you hear it better among the vats.
- Do not drive afterwards Three strong ports; Gaia is easy to reach on foot from the Ribeira.
- Go up by taxi and come down on foot The hill to the cellar is steep; on the way back, it is all downhill to the river.
Frequently asked questions
Which wines do you taste at Taylor's?
Three are included: a dry white Chip Dry, an LBV and a 10-year-old tawny. You can add tastings of older wines.
Is the visit guided?
No. It is self-guided, with an audio guide on your phone available in 13 languages.
What are the opening hours?
The cellar opens from 10:00 to 18:15 and the tasting room until 19:30, every day, with changes on public holidays.
With friends
Who runs it
- Taylor's PortCellar visit with audioguide and three wines Visit their website
