Travel to Porto about a year ago.

[TheEngineer]

This trip was slowly receeding in my memory until I read Bucko's list of favorite wines this year. Half of them were Ports (and some really old and nice ones at that!!!).

I had an opportunity to travel to Portugal about a year ago (still an affordable location despite the US dollar drop....actually that is why we picked it). Unfortunately this is a bitter sweet story.

My wife wanted to go to the south (The Algarve and Lisbon). I wanted to go to Oporto,...for obvious regions. I had planned the entire trip and was going to drive from the South up to the North. Anyways, the trip was good, the Algarve was beautiful,....we finally got to the UNESCO protected city of Oporto....it was a beautify city. I was looking so forward to walking it, the Port vendors on the South Bank were calling and a drive out to the Duoro region was just 90 minutes away....

Then I realized I had made a mistake and booked us to go home one day early!....ARUGHHHH!

At least I had one good day in Porto and took advantage by going to a number of Port houses (Starting with Sandman and then moving East). I gained a lot of information about Port that I never had before. I have a better appreciation for all of their types from Tawnys, to Late harvests, to Vintages and Vau Vintages. I even learned to like White Port (the good dry stuff versus the rosy mixes that are often sold as white ports)...anyone try a Port Splash lately (1/2 dry white port, 1/2 Shwepps tonic water, thin slice of lemon).

I never got to the Duoro region. I guess that this gives me a good excuse to go back some times.....the anticipation still kills me.