I’ve always loved Porto and need little excuse to visit. Not uncoincidentally, I’ve always loved port and need little excuse to drink it and so, invited to stay in this fine city and road-test its latest attraction, the ambitiously-monikered World of Wine, who was I to resist?
There’s been a mixed reception to Wow locally. One person told me that it was garish and vulgar
Porto is really two cities, Porto itself and Vila Nova de Gaia, separated by the mighty Douro River, along the banks of which lie the precipitous vineyards responsible for the finest of all fortified wines and some increasingly tasty red and white wines too. I was billeted in the swanky Yeatman Hotel. Set high on the hill of Vila Nova de Gaia, it faces Porto across the river and each of the 109 bedrooms has dramatic, uncluttered views of the city. There’s an indoor pool, outdoor pool, gym, spa and wine shop. The restaurant has two Michelin stars and serves 1,700 wines of which nearly all are Portuguese. 32,000 bottles are stored on site. It’s a wine-lover’s paradise.
The bedrooms are exceedingly well-accoutred with ridiculously comfortable beds and it’s possible to open the shutters above one’s enormous bath to enjoy said city views while having a good soak and a well-deserved porto tonico. The nicest touch of all, though, is a copy of 1066 And All That by Sellar and Yeatman by every bedside, which I’d take over the Gideon Bible every time.
World of Wine – better-known as Wow – opened in July 2020 (rotten timing) and is vast, spread over some 35,000 square feet in and beside a series of former port lodges. There are 12 restaurants and bars, seven museums, a gallery for temporary exhibitions, a wine school, a chocolate factory and several shops. The brainchild of Adrian Bridge, CEO of Taylor Fladgate (owners of Taylor’s, Fonseca, Croft and, indeed, the Yeatman), Wow is trumpeted as part of a new so-called ‘cultural district’ and is designed both as a celebration of Portugal and as a comprehensive exploration of man’s greatest invention/discovery: wine.
The 1828 restaurant (World of Wines)
There’s been a mixed reception to Wow locally. One person told me that it was garish and vulgar and simply another example of selfish empire-building by Taylor Fladgate. Another said it was a much-needed injection of style and innovation in a city that badly needs both, bringing in visitors not only for the benefit of Taylor Fladgate but also for the other port houses and wider city. To find out which, I started my tour of Wow at an exhibit, Porto Region Across the Ages, and found myself to be the only one there. Maybe everyone else had been driven away by the narration. ‘To tell the story of the north of Portugal one must begin at the dawn of mankind…’ it droned, prompting an impulsive yawn. I wasn’t sure I had the time to go that far back. There were a lot of facts and dates and not much fun and I imagine it was included so that Wow might get some government or EU funding.
I skipped through and headed to The Chocolate Story, the first major chocolate museum in the world independent of the big brands. Here, too, there were a lot of facts and dates but also – crucially – oodles of fun. I had a wonderful hour learning all there is to learn about chocolate – where it comes from, how it’s made and what does and doesn’t constitute chocolate (you’ll be shocked).
The best bit, apart from the 1970s adverts and posters (remember ‘All because the lady loves Milk Tray’?), was the chocolate and port matching hosted by master chocolate maker Pedro Martins Araújo, match of the day being Madagascan dark chocolate (85 per cent) with Fonseca Bin 27 port.
Next, the Pink Palace, a hilarious, camp experience aimed squarely at hen parties and, natch, the pink pound. You get five different rosés to enjoy and you learn how and where they’re produced. There’s a pink Cadillac to sit in, a play area full of pink plastic balls that you’re frowned at for not jumping in, a phone booth, two gold baths and a faux Western saloon. It’s all huge fun and you would have to be a complete killjoy not to love it. You learn a surprising amount too.
The pink ball pit (World of Wines)
I took in the Bridge Collection, an extraordinary assortment of drinking vessels covering 9,000 years amassed by Adrian Bridge; Planet Cork, which told me everything about, erm, cork and where I discovered that I weigh 16,593 cork stoppers; the interactive wine experience and finally the wine school where I learned more about Portuguese wine in one hour than I had in the previous 40 years.
I dined on pizza in Pip (not great), feijoada in T&C (fine), fish in Golden Catch (excellent) and steak in 1828 (remarkable). I had cocktails in Angel’s Share and, having spent two whole days exploring Wow, managed to walk my socks clean off rediscovering the many joys of Porto too. Wow is definitely worth visiting and if you can stay at the Yeatman too, that’s a bonus. Skip the boring bits and make the most of the tastings. You’ll have a hoot and learn plenty too.