Between Lake Constance and the Douro – a port lover introduces himself

[mr.portwine]

Hello dear fellow enthusiasts,

I would also like to briefly introduce myself, as I think I would like to become a bit more active here from now on. In my spare time I am living the British retiree dream (at least I think so ). I spend a lot of time driving my completely self-restored Triumph Spitfire. The only thing still missing is a dachshund.

I finance my Port wine hobby by working as a Systems Specialist for IT infrastructure. My home base is in Switzerland on the shores of Lake Constance.

I am interested not only in Port wines themselves, but also in everything surrounding them: the stories of the various producers and houses, as well as the technology and ageing process. At the moment I am fulfilling a long-held dream and trying my hand at creating my own blog and wiki about Port. I know there are already several sites like this. My goal is simply to document the things I discover myself and to share my knowledge. There is not much content there yet, but if you are interested, you can find it at port-wiki .com.

Since the selection of available Ports here is rather limited, we will be travelling to Portugal for the second time this autumn, including a visit to the Douro Valley. If anyone has any tips, my fiancée and I are very open to exploring. This time we will take the car — a suitcase simply cannot hold enough Port.

I apologise in advance for my English. Even though I work in IT, I still need AI to help translate my texts .

Very warm and sunny greetings from Lake Constance.

Saúde,

mr.portwine / Nico

[mosesbotbol]

Welcome.

I too am in IT (cyber security) with some family in Biel.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Welcome to the Forum, Nico! It’s nice to have you with us.

Let us know the sort of thing you like doing when in Portugal and we might be able to help you with some suggestions.

[jdaw1]

Triumph Spitfire.

Which model?

[mr.portwine]

Welcome to the Forum, Nico! It’s nice to have you with us.

Let us know the sort of thing you like doing when in Portugal and we might be able to help you with some suggestions.

Bars – I’m not sure if they exist – where you can do tastings that are a bit more independent of the producers.

[mr.portwine]

Triumph Spitfire.

Which model?

It is a 1979 1500 RHD

[Glenn E.]

Welcome to the Forum, Nico! It’s nice to have you with us.

Let us know the sort of thing you like doing when in Portugal and we might be able to help you with some suggestions.

Bars – I’m not sure if they exist – where you can do tastings that are a bit more independent of the producers.

If you haven't been to Bacchus Vini, that would be an excellent first stop. Maria Fonseca stocks an eclectic range of Ports from a lot of smaller producers. (She also stocks some of the larger producers, too.) It can be found at Rua da Lada 14, 4050-328. It's basically the last shop on the Porto side right before you get to Ponte Dom Luis I.

Another place to visit would be Lagar D'Ouro, aka LaDo. It isn't entirely independent, but rather focuses on a set of smaller producers that aren't as well known but are all pretty great. It can be found at Rua da Fonte Taurina 89, 4050-270. It's basically on the opposite end of the cais from Bacchus Vini, and then up one street.

Those tend to be my 2 favorites any time I'm in Porto!