The WOW Cultural District combines the journey of port and wine with some of the best accommodations and dining experiences in Porto.

When we think of Porto, the ancient trading city on Portugal’s Douro River, we tend to conjure up an image of the steep, narrow lanes of Ribeira, towering church spires, the iconic Bosla Palace, and the bustle of life on the cusp of the river.

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However, that view only tells part of the city’s story because it’s inevitably from the perspective of Vila Nova de Gaia (Gaia for short) a previously unassuming precinct on the other side of the meandering Douro, and it’s here I make my way to on a stunning summer afternoon.

 The Terrace at The Yeatman

Located in Porto District, in Portugal’s north, Gaia has long stood in the city of Porto’s shadow, yet it’s played an integral part in the city’s fortunes. If Porto was the region’s market, its palace, and its seat of power, then Gaia was its bank vault, and for one reason above all others: port.

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In an attempt to avoid the steep export taxes on the Porto side of the River, English merchants – who’d been arriving in Portugal since the 14th century to ship wine to the British Isles to curb England’s reliance on French wines, its enemy at the time –set up their wine cellars, also known as lodges, in Gaia. Today, the persimmon-hued rooves of those cellars can still be seen across Gaia, especially from the precinct’s crowning glory, The Yeatman, a luxurious hotel perched high above the river valley.

The former wine lodges of Gaia

Now, with the development of WOW Cultural District Porto, a multi-venue, multi-sensory and totally interactive collective of museums, event spaces, retail venues, education institutes, and restaurants housed within those historic lodges, Gaia is enjoying a renaissance as visitors stroll across the Luis Bridge from Porto to delve into the neighbourhood’s intoxicating history.

Lofty Luxury

You can’t have the World of Wine without The Yeatman, a gloriously luxurious hotel perched high above the wine cellars, and with undeniably the best views of Porto across the river. Named for one of the most influential families in the port wine industry, the ancestors of which now own the trade’s three largest producers, The Yeatman opened in 2010 and quickly established itself as one of the world’s leading wine hotels.

The Yeatman’s picture-perfect pool

While many visitors climb the steep lanes of Gaia to enjoy the views from The Yeatman’s sprawling sun-kissed terrace, you’re better off making this your indulgent base from which to explore WOW and Gaia beyond. The Yeatman, with its intimate ambience created through elegant, vintage-esque décor reminiscent of a stately manor, is home to luxurious guest rooms, suites, and penthouses, many dressed in cream and egg yolk yellow and all named for different Douro Quintas or wine estates. Many also boast private terraces that enjoy those same Douro River views.

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The hotel is also famed for its wine spa, where massages, facials and pampering rituals are conducted in modern spa suites, many with ingredients taken from the family wine estates. The Red Wine Grape Bath has you soaking in a blend of vine leaf flavonoids and polyphenol, which have an antioxidant effect, and is best finished with a dip in the Instagram-worthy heated indoor pool.

The Yeatman Gastronomic Restaurant

Gastronomy is also a key component of The Yeatman experience, with chef Ricardo Costa helming coveted two Michelin-starred The Yeatman Gastronomic Restaurant, while The Orangerie Restaurant serves daily a la carte menus, and Dick’s Bar & Bistro dishes up comfort cuisine matched with an enviable port selection.

A Catalyst for Reinvention

Now that you’re settled in, you’re ready for the immersive wine experience of WOW. One of the most ambitious projects historic Gaia has ever seen, the WOW Cultural District spans seven museums, most of which are focused on the various journeys that take place from vineyard to bottle, as well as some of the city’s most avant-garde eateries, chic cafes, and design-driven retail boutiques.

The Wine Experience

Representing a US$112 million investment by the owners of Taylor’s, Croft, and Fonseca port brands – as well as The Yeatman, from which WOW gets its hospitality credentials – WOW’s 55,000 sqm of redeveloped cellars in the heart of Vila Nova de Gaia’s historic wine district has already been designated a Project of National Interest by the Portuguese government and is drawing crowds from across the river and across the world. Even if wine isn’t your thing, you haven’t seen the contemporary side of Porto unless you’ve made a pit stop at WOW.

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Interactive Museums

While WOW is very much a leisure destination, education is certainly at its heart, with a focus on creating greater awareness, not just of port but also of the region and its other exports. The Chocolate Story traces the history of its namesake sweet, its production process and its impact on popular culture and finishes with a chance to personalise your own bar (the museum shop is also great for gifts to take home). Nearby, the Porto Region Across The Ages exhibition utilises intriguing displays, documentaries and even a replica tram to chronicle the region’s trials and tribulations, from the Moorish occupation to the Roman period to the era of exploration, and the French Invasion.

The Chocolate Story

While not all the museums at the WOW Cultural District are about the wine experience (Porto is also Portugal’s garment production hub, hence the dedicated fashion museum), most are focused on some aspect of the wine production process. Planet Cork, for example, examines this once-crucial export: did you know cork trees can live for 200 years? You can see what you weigh in wine corks, learn about the harvesting process, have a cork engraved with a personal message, and see how cork farmers are evolving their industry to create sustainable clothing, accessories, and even furniture.

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The Pink Palace is a little less… serious, and offers a vibrant, fun immersion into the world of rosé wine, unravelling some of the myths, illustrating the production process, and even offering a tasting of five styles, all across a series of photo-ready rooms, some set up as upside down picnics, and others filled with rosé-hued balls.

Planet Cork

You’d think in a city like Gaia, perched on a river with more than its fair share of bridges, The Bridge Collection museum would be an ode to architecture. However, it actually traces the evolution of drinking vessels through the ages, from Viking goblets and clay mugs found at Pompeii to intricate rock crystal glassware from Chinese imperial dynasties and the German Renaissance, and a few contemporary takes, including a glass set produced during the Atomic Age that glows in the dark.

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A little more obvious, The Wine Experience dives into the extraordinary world of wine, from the planting of the vines to the different styles created from the grapes. There are interactive exhibitions where you guess the wine variety by smell and colour, and a final blind tasting that helps you develop a more complex palate.

Porto Region Across The Ages

If you’d like to take that vino education further, make for the WOW Wine School, which holds regular workshops, seminars, and private tastings and is helping train the next generation of Portuguese sommeliers. I slip into the school one afternoon like a tardy student and am introduced to the cross-section of Portuguese wines by director José Sá, who details the subtle differences between regional specialities and offers some apt wine pairing suggestions.

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More Than Just Education

If all that knowledge makes you hungry, you’re in luck as WOW has a little something for everyone, from elegant, traditional steakhouse 1828, which serves El Capricho beef from prized Spanish oxen; to family-friendly Pip, with its menu of burgers, pastas, and (some say) Porto’s best pizzas, many made with locally sourced ingredients. Then there’s modern sushi restaurant Root & Vine, which boasts spectacular views across the river valley, and Mira Mira, another coveted kitchen helmed by chef Ricardo Costa.

Angel’s Share

On my first day at WOW, I find respite at Golden Catch, with its alfresco seating, and where the pink gin and tonics are almost as good as the fresh fish and chips and platters of oysters from the Ria de Aveiro and clams à Bulhão Pato. Nearby, T&C, housed in the former Croft’s office, is doing a roaring trade, with many punters taking a perch outside in the sun so that they can enjoy the restaurant’s signature dish – a port wine-laced take on the decadent francesinha sandwich, a local speciality that sees layers of toasted bread and hot meat doused with melted cheese. It’s not for the faint of heart.

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That evening, as a honey-hued sun drowns the valley, I make for Angel’s Share, an upscale wine bar overlooking WOW’s central square that boasts a huge selection of wines by the glass, best paired with its menu of cheese and charcuterie boards heaped with Portuguese produce. It’s also a short walk from the popular Barão Fladgate restaurant, located within the Taylor’s complex. With its expansive terraces, mesmerising views, and crisp service, this is a must for any foodie looking to delve into the finest Portuguese cuisine in the city – and yes, a few ports to boot.

Barão Fladgate

And if you’re just feeling a little peckish, the Vinte Vinte Café has its own chocolate shop and offers a huge array of chocolaty goodies, from chocolates paired with port to hot chocolate to fend off those evening breezes from the Atlantic.

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Shop Till You Drop

The WOW Cultural District also boasts plenty of opportunities for retail therapy, including the Vinte Vinte Cafe, which sells chocolate bars made from beans sourced from all over the world, in every style you can imagine, as well as a menu of indulgent pastries and deserts.

You’ll also find some gems in the design-driven boutique at Planet Cork, while Companhia Das Conservas specialises in Portugal’s rich tradition of canning seafood, with cans of cod and octopus wrapped in beautiful designer paper that make them a statement piece all of their own. You can also grab vintage ports and great Douro wines at Oenophilia

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