Real Companhia Velha — Attraction in Vila Nova de Gaia

We were frustrated when looking for a cellar to visit... Most were tourist traps or just tourist centric sites(nothing is done there) not to mention way overpriced. All the ones at the waterfront had fake cellars or none at all and to visit the actual cellar you pay over 20€ and need reservation. This one... Oh boy. You can catch a tourist train at Sé that takes you there, we had no idea, so went by foot. It's 1,3km from the other cellars. It was the hardest hike we've done in a long long time, we almost died from the sight of the never ending hill. But at the end it was heaven, the best experience of our time in Porto, far from the horde of tourists. Best price of them all and the most complete. 4 tastings for each person with bread and assorted nuts included and a complete tour and lesson of the rich culture of this ancient company and how every wine is made for only €7.5, an absolute bargain. It lasts approx 45-80min and make sure you come without a crowd as they adapt to the size of the group. Best under 5 people. All the guides were extremely nice and spoke many languages. Our main guide Diogo(not me) was amazing and since we were alone, gave us the best tour of all, a personalized one, including a visit to the vintage cellars with wine still aging from 1700s. We felt at home and learned a whole lot. The other versions of the tour are also recomended, difference being the taste of even older wines and a lengthier and more extensive visit. Obrigado Diogo pela...

Website is confusing to navigate and not clear. It also contains false information. We saw on the website that you can enter the shop and have a tasting with out a tour, they even have a price posted for this option. the website also states that they are open till 6pm. We arrived at 5pm and we were not allowed to enter. The security guard informed us that tastings are only available on the tour, we then asked if we can enter the shop to buy something and he told us that the shop is only open to people that have been on the tour. At least the guard was kind enough to let us use the bathroom. The place is a 10-15 min walk from the closest transit stop and it would have been nice to know that we wouldn't have access as we had to push a stroller up and down the hill to get there. PLEASE update...

We visited a number of cellars whilst in Porto and Real Companhia was by far the best. In the spirit of full disclosure, it was a quiet day as the Red Bull air race was on, however our wonderful guide Ines, gave us an excellent tour. She was extremely knowledgeable and answered all our questions. She gave us lots of time and had a very personal touch - something that was lacking with other cellar tours.

The menu of ports was one of the best we saw on our tour and was fairly prices. Unfortunately the bottles of port were a bit on the pricey side, so we didn't buy any while we were there.

I would strongly recommend this cellar - above the other, potentially better known, but ultimately impersonal and sales...