Caves Sandeman

On the south bank of the Douro, facing the old city of Porto, the cellars of Sandeman are among the great lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia. Here the Port wines age in oak casks and pipes, and visits pass through the dark cellars and the museum of one of the oldest houses of the wine — whose caped figure, the Don, is known around the world.

History and character

The house was founded in 1790, and its cellars at Gaia grew with the Port wine trade that linked the Douro vineyards to the markets of Europe. The silhouette of the Don, dressed in the Portuguese student’s cape, was created in the early nineteenth century and has travelled with the brand ever since, while the lodge keeps its cellars, its museum and its stories of the river trade.

What to discover

• The cellars, with their rows of casks and ageing Port wines.
• The museum, with historic bottles and the memories of the house.
• The guided visits and tastings of Port wine styles.
• The riverside of Gaia, with the lodges and the bridge over the Douro.

Visiting

The cellars are in Vila Nova de Gaia, on the south bank of the Douro, reached on foot across the Luís I bridge or by metro and bus. Visits follow the house’s schedules and tickets; check the official page before your visit.

Nearby

O Sé do Porto e a Palácio da Bolsa stand across the river, and the vineyards of the Vale do Douro begin upstream.

Information: sandeman.com.

Image credit: Caves Sandeman, Vila Nova de Gaia, by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.