REAL COMPANHIA VELHA - Discovering the wine of Porto

The next day in Porto started off delightfully. A warm and gentle sun called us to try new experiences in the city crossed by the Douro River. The modern metro leaves us in the early hours of the morning at the Jardin do Morro station, in the Vila Nova de Gaia neighborhood - the neighborhood of wineries and producers of the famous Vinho do Porto.

In 2001, UNESCO classified the Douro Valley as a World Heritage Site for the beauty of its landscape, its unique culture and its preserved nature. Known as the oldest wine-growing area with a designation of origin in the world, the Douro Valley offers an anthropic landscape, a true masterpiece created by nature and by the many generations who have lived in this land, perfecting and preserving their culture and tradition.

The discovery of Vinho do Porto is was a pure coincidence. During the 16th century, English merchants, based in the city of Porto, were trading their wines from vineyards planted in the Douro Valley. Before setting off on the ocean voyage to England, an Englishman thought of adding neutral grape spirit, known as "aguardente" or "brandy" to wine barrels in order to interrupt fermentation, thus preserving residual sugar in the wine and substantially increasing the alcohol content. The successful integration of wine, oak and brandy resulted in a fortified wine, sweet but very pleasant, so Vinho do Porto was created.

This interesting story, I listened with interest when I visited Real Companhia Velha.

Real Companhia Velha was founded in 1756 by Royal Charter by King D. José I, under the auspices of his Prime Minister, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo - Marquis of Pombal. Real Companhia Velha, also known as the Royal Oporto Wine Company, is the oldest Port wine company in Portugal. The cellars of this bicentennial company are located in Vila Nova de Gaia, in front of the city of Porto, that is, on the left bank of the Douro River, and store a wide selection of Tawny Port wines - matured in oak barrels - as well as a private family cellar with over 16,000 bottles of rare vintage Port wines, with the oldest dating back to 1765, thus maintaining the prestige and tradition that Real Companhia Velha has enjoyed for 267 years.

Since 1960, Real Companhia Velha has been run by the Silva Reis family, who have dedicated their efforts to the production of both Port and Douro wines, focusing on the study and development of the Douro terroir.

The company owns 5 estates in the Douro Valley – Quinta das Carvalhas, Quinta de Cidrô, Quinta dos Aciprestes, Quinta do Casal da Granja and Quinta do Síbio – with a total vineyard area of ​​557 hectares.

Formed by the most important farmers in the Douro Valley and important figures in the city of Porto, the company was tasked with "supporting the cultivation of the vine, preserving its natural production and its purity, for the benefit of agriculture, trade and public health".

Thanks to a Romanian-speaking guide—a Moldavian young lady from Chișinău married to a Portuguese man—the entire visit to Real Companhia Velha was fascinating and educational, culminating in a tasting of the famous Port wine that I will remember for a long time to come. I saw wines aged 10, 20, and 40 years stored in huge oak barrels, as well as one of only ten bottles produced and preserved since 1867 (making it 150 years old!); it was for sale at a price of no less than 2,750 euros!

In the vicinity of such a treasure, we also bought 2 bottles of Port wine, wine produced in 2016. Each bottle cost 5.25 euros. The entire visit lasted almost an hour and was free using the Porto Card, a normal ticket costs 14 euros/person.

After such a visit and wine tasting, we headed tired but happy towards the old town. The next day, new adventures awaited us in the fascinating city on the Atlantic coast...