Visit the newly inaugurated Museum of Port Wine and have a taste of Porto

The world famous Port Wine has now a new home in the city that bears its name; the new Museum of Porto Wine was inaugurated on 5th March in the Invicta by the Mayor of Porto.

During the opening ceremony, Mayor Rui Moreira proudly announced that "we wanted this municipal building, the last existing municipal building in Ribeira to be the facto museum of us all, to us all. This is a museum that mirrors the innermost heritage of the city, a heritage that is closely linked to political affirmation, economic affirmation, with the history of the city, a hard-working city, which faces troubles by the hands of humble people. Moreover, the economy and the wine industry have always been intrinsic to the city, as they still are to this day".

At the Museum of Port Wine in Porto visitors will embark on a journey of discovery through the history of Port Wine, taking in the wonders of the vineyard landscape, the traditional crafts to making such a divine wine, and science and technology also involved in wine making nowadays, all under one roof.

"The city already had a museum of Port Wine, in Miragaia" and although the building was amazing, "when we got here (first election, first mandate) we realised that the way the museum was shaped didn't fit the city. It had almost no visitors, and we have this building, what was once a Regional Centre for Traditional Arts - CRAT", a six-storey building that was almost sold or transformed into a hotel, as explained by Rui Moreira.

The next step was the relocation to the municipal building, even because the old building was rented, and focus on this new space. "And why here?" the Mayor asked.

"Because here is the place of Port wine, it takes one look and we see the cellars in front (in Gaia), this was the place of the bustle and hustle connected to the Port wine trade, when this was a place for shipment, loading and unloading. But above all, we want this museum here in Ribeira, alongside Casa do Infante and also as a part of the Museum of the City", Rui Moreira enthused.

The Museum of the City is not a physical building, but rather a Polycentric Museum, with different poles, which are ancillary, and include the recently inaugurated Reservatório da Pasteleira and the Museu do Rio de Vila, which is being built.