Port From the Source: Cockburn’s Port Lodge

If you’re in Porto, you have to try Port wine. Not only because that’s where the delicious, sweet, fortified wine gets its name, but also because there are so many different cellars + lodges where you can get port right from the source. To try Port “in Porto”, you should actually cross the river to Vila Nova de Gaia. Here you’ll find many different producers to try from. We chose to visit Cockburn’s Port Lodge because of their rich family history in Port and dedication to their craft.

Cockburn’s was easy to spot because of it’s light pink exterior. Before taking your tour + enjoying your tasting, you can go through the Cockburn Port Lodge’s museum. Here you’ll find documents dating back 200 or so years. The museum shows the evolution of the brand, with one thing in that stays consistent: the quality of the Port.

Cockburn’s Port Lodge Tour

The tour of Cockburn’s Port Lodge was amazing. You walk through many, many rooms of barrels aging. While showing us these barrels, our guide gave us all kinds of information about Cockburn’s Port and the process of creating port in general. Cockburn’s Port Lodge is the largest of the wooden cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia’s historic center.

In addition to the great information provided by our guide, Cockburn’s Port Lodge also has a little video to explain more about Cockburn’s process of creating their Port and history about Port. One thing that I found interesting is that they hold on to traditions, but they also have advances in technology.

Cockburn’s Port Lodge Coopers

One of the things I found most interesting about this Cockburn’s Port Lodge Tour was their coopers. Coopers are barrel makers and it requires a lot of craft. In the video we watched, they explained how the coopers check for leaks in the barrels of Port. When they find a leak, they dismantle the barrels, label each piece and then fit new strips of wood and reeds to fill in the gaps. Then, they put the pieces back to gather and put the metal rings back around them.

It was just really cool to get to see their team working on the barrels. The sounds of the hammer echoed throughout the cellars. It was just really unique. Our tour continued through the cellars where we saw the Port being stored and had even more explanations about Port.    We also ended their wine cellar where different Cockburn’s vintage ports were being stored. These were from the late-1800’s. I would love to try one of these.

Cockburn’s Port Lodge Tasting

We enjoyed Cockburn’s Premium tasting after the tour. This tasting includes their Late Bottled Vintage, 10 Year Old Tawny and Quinta dos Canais Vintage. They have a separate tasting room that’s really beautiful and each table has a soft light in the middle. It was really interesting because you could hold your glass up to the light and really see the color of the Port. Each of the Ports were amazingly flavorful. Matt and I both enjoyed the boldness of the Late Bottled Vintage. However, I loved the sweet, caramel smoothness of the 10 Year Old Tawny.

Seriously, though, how cool is this table?

Interesting Port facts:

For those of you who don’t know much about Port, it is a fortified wine. The fermentation process is very short because the spirit is added when the wine is very young. This also is why Port is so sweet because the natural sugars aren’t broken down. Traditionally port comes in two varieties: tawny and ruby. Ruby is stored in larger tanks so that it’s less exposed to oxygen. This keeps its ruby color and ruby Ports often have a fruitier flavor. Tawny ports are aged longer in small barrels. The contact with the wood allowed for more oxidation and evaporation. This allows for the nutty, caramel flavors too. Port is now also available in white and even rosé. The name “Port” is protected in the EU. If the bottle says Port it had to have come from the Douro Valley in Portugal.

Visit Cockburn’s Port Lodge:

Cockburn’s Port Lodge is located at Rua Serpa Pinto 346 4400-307 Vila Nova de Gaia. It’s important to know that you need to make a reservation to take a tour of this beautiful Port lodge. You can do so directly from their website or by phone.

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Disclaimer: Although Matt + I received complimentary tours + tastings from Cockburn’s Port Lodge, all opinions are, as always, my own.