If you haven’t been to a producer tasting/class at theLAB in Porto, I highly recommend. Ironically I met Hannah and Peter from Funq there! I’m happy to see their spot being recognized!
Thanks for posting this. We haven't had much luck finding interesting wine in Porto having only previously found Cave Bombarda on your list. Unfortunately the evening we were there, they served some really extreme natural wines and we had the impression that they were putting dogma in front of good taste (NB. I'm not a priori anti-natural wines (love naturel Beaujolais) but I am anti-flawed wines. I know, I know, one person's flaws are another's thrills).
Anyhow, your list will be really useful for us as Porto is the nearest non-Galician city to our home in Pontevedra. We've been getting bored with the wine choices in Capela Incomum although the decor is spectacular.
I look forward to exploring the winebars on your list soon. Thanks.
Hey Robert, with that in mind I would recommend Prova, Gito (they have everything but you can tell them your taste and they'll cater to that), the Cork and Vintu for slightly less funky (but still interesting!) styles.
Yes I had a wine store and bar - similar to cave Bombarda's model actually! Had it for 7 years but sold it to move abroad. It's still there if you ever end up in Essex
I was born in Chelmsford but left at 8 so I haven't even got the accent (probably a good thing in the wine trade). In Rias Baixas I'm making my own wine but buying grapes (cause I've already done the vineyard owner/slave thing in the Languedoc) and vinifying in someone else's winery (cause we also had our own winery/albatross before). Keep it small and affordable which is a blessed relief given the current state of the international wine market. Fun fact though, as far as I know, I'm the only non Iberian physically making their own wine in Rias Baixas.
It’s that wonderful European gift, you know the one I’m talking about. That place you go to, to grab a drink with friends. You grab a bite, you have a drink, you talk, you meet strangers who become acquaintances and friends, and then you move on to the next wine bar. In many cases, you see the same faces, the same bartenders, the same patrons. It is indeed, a place “where everybody knows your name”. Portugul’s version is known as petiscar. And the experience is as amazing as it sounds. Don’t want to eat a heavy meal in the evening? Want to enjoy some wine with friends and maybe a couple of bites? You’re in luck. Portugal has got you! Whether you plant yourself and have a glass for hours on end, chatting with friends or fellow patrons, or you hop from one place to the next sampling dishes that are special to that one bar, checking out the wine scene and the different bottles that the different bars have in stock. It goes without saying that you will be in for a culinary treat. No matter what choice you make. Taste new or familiar dishes. Sample from a new winery you’ve never been to. Find your new favorite wine. Enjoy a glass of bottle of your favorite wine. Catch up with old friends. Make a few new ones. To this day, the experience still cannot be replicated here in America. But in Portugal, you have the greatest opportunity to immerse yourself in an experience that is extraordinary, and in a word, sublime.
If you haven’t been to a producer tasting/class at theLAB in Porto, I highly recommend. Ironically I met Hannah and Peter from Funq there! I’m happy to see their spot being recognized!
Porto is a small village!
Excellent guide! Take me back to Porto please..
I do love New Wave of Gen X though.
Ha yes!
Thanks for posting this. We haven't had much luck finding interesting wine in Porto having only previously found Cave Bombarda on your list. Unfortunately the evening we were there, they served some really extreme natural wines and we had the impression that they were putting dogma in front of good taste (NB. I'm not a priori anti-natural wines (love naturel Beaujolais) but I am anti-flawed wines. I know, I know, one person's flaws are another's thrills).
Anyhow, your list will be really useful for us as Porto is the nearest non-Galician city to our home in Pontevedra. We've been getting bored with the wine choices in Capela Incomum although the decor is spectacular.
I look forward to exploring the winebars on your list soon. Thanks.
Hey Robert, with that in mind I would recommend Prova, Gito (they have everything but you can tell them your taste and they'll cater to that), the Cork and Vintu for slightly less funky (but still interesting!) styles.
Thank you for the tip.
Did you work in wine before in the UK?
Yes I had a wine store and bar - similar to cave Bombarda's model actually! Had it for 7 years but sold it to move abroad. It's still there if you ever end up in Essex
Uh-oh, another one from Essex here. Although my wine specialisation is more in the making side.... no prizes for guessing why we're in Pontevedra.
You're kidding! I'm not from there but my husband is. Where in Essex were you? Are you working at a winery now?
I was born in Chelmsford but left at 8 so I haven't even got the accent (probably a good thing in the wine trade). In Rias Baixas I'm making my own wine but buying grapes (cause I've already done the vineyard owner/slave thing in the Languedoc) and vinifying in someone else's winery (cause we also had our own winery/albatross before). Keep it small and affordable which is a blessed relief given the current state of the international wine market. Fun fact though, as far as I know, I'm the only non Iberian physically making their own wine in Rias Baixas.
Thank you! I’ll be in Porto about 3 weeks from now. Looking forward to supporting the local wineries bars.
Great stuff, have fun!
It’s that wonderful European gift, you know the one I’m talking about. That place you go to, to grab a drink with friends. You grab a bite, you have a drink, you talk, you meet strangers who become acquaintances and friends, and then you move on to the next wine bar. In many cases, you see the same faces, the same bartenders, the same patrons. It is indeed, a place “where everybody knows your name”. Portugul’s version is known as petiscar. And the experience is as amazing as it sounds. Don’t want to eat a heavy meal in the evening? Want to enjoy some wine with friends and maybe a couple of bites? You’re in luck. Portugal has got you! Whether you plant yourself and have a glass for hours on end, chatting with friends or fellow patrons, or you hop from one place to the next sampling dishes that are special to that one bar, checking out the wine scene and the different bottles that the different bars have in stock. It goes without saying that you will be in for a culinary treat. No matter what choice you make. Taste new or familiar dishes. Sample from a new winery you’ve never been to. Find your new favorite wine. Enjoy a glass of bottle of your favorite wine. Catch up with old friends. Make a few new ones. To this day, the experience still cannot be replicated here in America. But in Portugal, you have the greatest opportunity to immerse yourself in an experience that is extraordinary, and in a word, sublime.