Finisterre Wine Bar - Edge of the World Tasting

How to Complete

5 steps curated by Wine Memories

1. 🍷 1

   Claim the 4 Best Seats in Porto at Opening Time

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   Wine Quay Bar has 16 seats inside and 4 on a tiny balcony directly overlooking the Douro River and Dom Luis I Bridge. Those 4 balcony seats are the most coveted real estate in Porto at sunset. Cash only. No reservations.

   Arrive at Wine Quay Bar at 4pm when it opens. Address: Muro dos Bacalhoeiros 111-112. Cash only or Portuguese debit card - no credit cards. The bar has 150 plus Portuguese wines with 60-70 by the glass. Start with a Vinho Verde at about 5.50 euros. Award: Best Wine Bar in Portugal 2016 and 2017. The 4 balcony seats go by 5pm.

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2. 🍷 2

   Order the Wine 90 Percent of Porto Tourists Never Try

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   The Douro makes Portugal's greatest red wines but 90 percent of tourists only order Port. At a wine bar, the insider move is to ask for a Douro tinto nao-fortificado - a non-fortified Douro red from schist terraces.

   Ask the bartender for a Touriga Nacional table wine from the Douro. This is Portugal's king grape: thick skin, massive tannins, intense black fruit, violets, liquorice. Grown on steep schist vineyards in searing heat. Then try an Encruzado white from the Dao - the hidden gem of Portuguese whites, compared to white Burgundy. These are the insider orders.

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3. 📜 3

   Drink at the Edge of What Phoenicians Called the End of the World

   history Free

   The Phoenicians traded wine along the Douro River 3,000 years ago. The Atlantic coast beyond was literally called finis terrae - the end of the earth. Beyond this: nothing. You are drinking wine at the exact place ancient traders believed the world ended.

   Walk along Cais da Ribeira before or after the wine bar. Pass Casa do Infante (birthplace of Prince Henry the Navigator, the yellow building on the corner). Look at the rabelo boats moored at the Gaia riverfront - each belongs to a specific wine producer. Sandeman's boat is the black one with the Don. These boats carried port wine barrels down the wild Douro until 1971.

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4. 🍷 4

   Drink Natural Wine at the Cave Where Winemakers Gather

   wine $$

   Prova Wine Food and Pleasure is Porto's most electric wine bar - where winemakers, enologists, and sommeliers from all over the world gather. Cave-like walls, golden lighting, background jazz. Live jazz every last Thursday of the month.

   Walk to Prova at Rua de Ferreira Borges 86 (15 minutes from Wine Quay). Open Mon and Thu-Sun from 5pm to 1am, closed Tue-Wed. Sommelier Diogo Amado curates natural wines from lesser-known Portuguese producers. The space doubles as a wine shop. Not the cheapest but described as worth ten fold. Book if visiting on a jazz Thursday.

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5. ⛰️ 5

   Watch Sunset From the Bridge That Was the World's Longest Arch

   Optional

   adventure Free

   Dom Luis I Bridge was built 1881-1886 by Theophile Seyrig, Gustave Eiffel's former partner. The 172-metre arch span was the longest in the world when completed. 85 metres above the Douro at its highest point. 3,046 tonnes of iron.

   Walk across the upper deck of Dom Luis I Bridge at sunset. The upper deck is now the metro line but pedestrians walk alongside. 85 metres above the Douro with wine lodges on one side and Porto's old town on the other. Combine with a 6 Bridges rabelo cruise below for 15 euros (50 minutes). The sunset view from the bridge is free and unforgettable.

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Insider Tips

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  Ask for Portuguese indigenous variety flights

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  The Ribeira district itself is UNESCO World Heritage

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  Evening visits offer views of illuminated Dom Luis I Bridge