Lottie Gross sinks a few glasses before lunch at The Wine
School, a new addition to Porto’s World of Wine cultural district
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I don’t usually start knocking back the vino before midday on a Friday, but this is a noble endeavour. It’s research, an education, if you will: I’m at Wine School. My desk is peppered with essential items: crackers for palate cleansing, water for washing them down, a notepad, pencil and – most importantly – three empty glasses that will shortly be graced with Portuguese wines.
My teacher, sommelier Marta Campos, is a fount of knowledge when it comes to viticulture. She’s one of a small team of ‘wine educators’ who run Porto’s new Wine School, located within the burgeoning World of Wine cultural hub in the city’s Vila Nova de Gaia district. There are courses on everything here, from wine pairings to international grape varieties.
There are courses on everything here, from wine pairings to international grape varieties
But the joy of this place is that it’s not serious. Drinking wine is fun, of course, and so they are trying to keep it so while educating the public on how to taste it, pair it and enjoy it best. Whether you book a two-hour session or wander in for a spur-of-the-moment guided tasting, it’s impossible to walk away without a new awareness of what you’re ordering with dinner.
This is the ethos throughout World of Wine, chief executive Adrian Bridge tells me over lunch after my “class”. I’m now four glasses into the day, but there’s no shame here – wine is the main event, after all. “We’re trying to make wine accessible,” he says. “We want to answer the questions about wine that most people are afraid to ask.”
It’s in the Wine Experience – an immersive exhibition that goes well beyond most museums – that most of my questions are answered. I find out how wine bottles are made, the difference between table grapes and wine grapes, and how “terroir” impacts the flavour of a wine.
With other museums spanning rosé wine, chocolate, cork, fashion and more, plus 12 restaurants, bars and cafes, the World of Wine district is a destination in its own right. And its position among the old port warehouses, overlooking the historic Ribeira waterfront, mean the views are almost as good as the wines.
Book it
Scott Dunn offers a seven-night stay at The Yeatman, a luxury wine hotel and spa overlooking the Douro River and located next to World of Wine, from £5,600 based on a couple sharing an Executive Room on a bed-and-breakfast basis. The price includes return flights from the UK and private transfers.
scottdunn.com
PICTURES: Rafael_Barros;www.numo.pt
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