When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And when in Porto, Portugal, drink as the Portuguese do. In other words, drink the local port wine, preferably on a port wine tasting tour that explains the wine-making process from vineyard to table, with lots of tasting samples! That’s exactly what you’ll get on a tour of the Calem wine cellars in Porto – an unmissable experience on any trip to the city.
I recently spent almost two weeks in Porto, Portugal, and a big part of my trip was learning about the region’s famous wines. The nearby Douro Valley was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, with thanks to its 2,000 years of wine production and, specifically, its world-famous port wine.
I spent a full day in the Douro Valley visiting vineyards and seeing the wine-making in action, but I know that not everybody has that much time in Porto. For travelers on a tighter schedule, the next best thing is a Porto wine cellar tour in the Vila Nova de Gaia neighborhood. Here, dozens of winemakers store and age hundreds of millions (!) of liters of wine, and in recent years many of those winemakers have opened their doors to the public.
One of the wine cellars in Porto that is open to the public is Calem. I spent several hours visiting their caves, learning about their history and tasting some of their finest port wines. If you’ve been thinking about visiting a wine cellar in Porto, keep reading to see what you can expect on a visit to Calem or one of the neighboring wine companies.
Note: I paid in full for my Calem wine cellar tour in Porto and I didn’t disclose to my guide, or any staff members, that I was a blogger. Also, I should note that technically Calem is written like Cálem, with an accent over the “a”. However, I know some computers and phones have problems showing that symbol so I’ll be omitting it throughout this post.
All About the Calem Wine Cellars in Porto, Portugal
Although Vila Nova de Gaia is technically its own city, most people think of it as being part of Porto, Portugal. Located on the opposite bank of the Douro River from Porto’s historic center, it’s easy to reach by foot, bus, metro or car in less than five minutes (seriously, it’s that close!).
In 1926 the Portuguese government passed a law requiring all wine producers in the nearby Douro Valley to move their storage, aging and export processes to Vila Nova de Gaia, freeing up space in Porto and concentrating port wine production under the government’s watchful eye. This law stayed in place until the 1980s, cementing Vila Nova de Gaia as the heart of Portugal’s port wine industry.
Calem is one of the many port wine producers who still maintain operations in Vila Nova de Gaia today. The company was founded in 1859, and at first focused primarily on breaking into the lucrative Brazilian market. As the years passed Calem also rose in popularity with local Portuguese drinkers, and today it is one of the most recognizable wine houses in the country.
Calem’s wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia are located directly on the waterfront, less than 100 meters from the lower level of the Ponte Luis I Bridge.
Calem Wine Tour Overview
I recommend that you purchase your tickets to Calem in advance, especially in high season. They can and do sell out, especially for the English-language tours. I bought my tickets about three days in advance to get the time that worked best for me.
There are a few different tasting options, which I’ll discuss below. Generally, though, I recommend choosing one of the tours that includes three wine tastings.
At the time of my visit, the Calem Wine Tour experience featured four main stops:
- Port Wine Museum – We were given free time to explore this interactive, hands-on museum that explored the process of wine-making from soil to bottle.
- Tour of Calem Wine Cellars – Then, our guide led us into Calem’s wine cellars to see how port wine is aged and stored.
- Calem Port Wine Tasting – Finally, we were taken upstairs to a wine tasting room and seated based on which tasting package we’d purchased.
- Calem Wine Shop – On your way out, you’ll exit through Calem’s boutique. Here, you can buy full bottles of the wines you tasted, along with small gift sets (perfect gifts for friends and family back home) and some local treats like jams and chocolates.
Calem Port Wine Museum
You’ll want to arrive about five to ten minutes before the time on your ticket – no need to come earlier. You’ll be invited to queue at the entrance gates until the exact moment you’re scheduled to enter, at which time the staff will start scanning tickets and letting guests inside.
The first stop on a Calem Porto tour will be a self-guided tour of the museum. The interactive exhibits here explain what makes the Douro Valley region so conducive to wine-making, from the specific type of soil to the climate. Then, you’ll learn how the grapes are harvested and processed to become wine, as well as what separates the different types of wines and ports.
It can be a bit crowded here, with up to fifty guests in the museum at once time. I recommend starting at the opposite end of the exhibits and then backtracking, so you’re going against the crowd.
Since the time of my visit, the cellars have also added a 5D cinema that shows an immersive movie about the Douro Valley. I’d love to hear from anyone who has seen the show!
Inside the Calem Wine Cellars
After you’ve had about twenty minutes in the museum, your guide will collect the group and you’ll go into the Calem wine cellars. This is where they store millions of liters of wine, carefully monitoring the aging and fermentation to ensure that the finished product is absolutely perfect.
Your guide will be wearing a microphone so that everyone in the group can hear what they’re saying as they discuss the harvesting of the grapes, how they are processed into wine, and the art and science of both aging and fortifying the wine to make Portugal’s iconic port beverage.
I’ve done quite a few wine tours before but I always find it interesting to hear regional differences and preferences, and to understand the interplay between wine production and the local culture and economy. While you are supposed to stay with your guide throughout the door, nobody minded when I stepped away a bit to snap some photos and to look for a barrel from the year I was born (I didn’t find one – maybe you’ll be luckier than me!).
Your tour through the cellar will take about thirty minutes, and during this time you’re welcome to ask questions about what you’re hearing. You can sign up for a tour in English, French, Italian or Spanish, so you can trust that your guide will be able to explain things in a way that you’ll understand!
Calem Wine Tour Tastings
After our guided tour of the Calem Porto wine cellars, we headed upstairs to the tasting room. On the way we were separated into groups based on which of the tasting packages we’d purchased, and we were then guided to the pre-set table with the wines we’d selected.
- Book a tour with two or three wine tastings. 🍷
- Book a tour with three wine tastings, plus a chocolate and cheese pairing. 🍫
- Book an evening tour with four wine tastings during a live Portuguese Fado music performance.🎵
I had bought a ticket that included three wine pairings (highly recommended – two is not enough!), so I was seated in that area. Each bench seats two people, so couples can sit beside or opposite one another, and solo travelers will be seated with another person.
Once seated, you are free to start your tasting right away. There are several staff members working in the tasting room and they will circulate to explain the different wines, but generally it’s more of an independent tasting.
Apparently I’m a cheap date, as I found I actually enjoyed the less-expensive ports (especially the rosé!) more than the very-expensive vintages. However, I’m glad I got the chance to try some pricier ports so that I’ll never wonder what I missed out on!
The Boutique at Calem Porto
You don’t have to wait for your group to finish their wine tasting – when you’re done, you can head downstairs to Calem’s boutique and gift shop. There shouldn’t be any surprises here as your table in the tasting room will have a list of the bottles you tasted (and others) as well as their retail price.
Personally, I didn’t make any purchases in the gift shop as I still had a few weeks left in my Portugal trip and didn’t want to be carrying around heavy bottles of wine. I was very tempted by a few of the other products, like a really interesting pumpkin jam and some local chocolates, but I didn’t want to carry them around for the rest of the day.
If you feel the same you can always swing by the gift shop at the end of your day of sightseeing, as you can enter directly from the street without needing to pass through the cellars.
One things I did was snap a photo of the price list and I compared it to the prices for Calem wines at the Continente supermarket near my Porto hotel. The prices were quite similar, but the official shop here in Vila Nova de Gaia definitely had a much better selection. If there’s a particular bottle you really want, you should pick it up here or plan to possibly have to order online.
Is a Calem Wine Tour in Porto Worth It?
If you have two days or less in Porto, a Calem wine tour is definitely worth it. This region of Portugal is renowned internationally for its port wines, and a short visit to Calem gives you a good introduction to the regional specialties.
However, if you have three days or more in Porto, I would recommend spending one of those days in the Douro Valley itself. Visiting the actual vineyards and seeing the natural landscape that produces these grapes is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that was by far the highlight of my week in Porto. This is the specific tour that I recommend, and this is my article about what you can expect on the tour.
Of course, if you’re an oenophile, you could do both the Douro Valley tour and a tasting at Calem (or one of the other cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia).
If you have children, you really need to consider their tolerance for sitting around while you drink wine. 😉 The kids I saw at Calem seemed moderately interested in the museum and tour, but very bored during the tasting experience. The upcoming opening of the aforementioned “5D Cinema” might make this a more attractive option for families in Porto.
Other Port Wine Tours & Tastings in Porto
As I mentioned, if you have three or more days in Porto I would highly recommend spending one of those days on an excursion to the Douro Valley. My recommended tour is run by a local family and takes you to independent wineries – click here for all the details.
However, there are other wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia that run similar tours to Calem. Here are a few other Porto wine cellar tours to consider:
- Half-Day Port Wine Walking Tour – This highly-rated guided tour gives you skip-the-line access at three different port-centered venues, where you’ll taste seven different port wines. Wine lovers, this one’s for you!
- Graham’s Port Lodge Tour & Vintage Room Wine Tasting – A signficantly more upscale experience, this wine cellar on the hill of Vila Nova de Gaia is open by invitation and appointment only. They have premium and super-premium tastings, each with single-harvest and vintage port wines.
- Taylor’s Port Cellar Tours and Tastings – Taylors has been producing port wine since 1692, making it one of the oldest producers in Vila Nova de Gaia. This experience includes a tour of their cellars and a tasting of three port wines.
- Cockburn’s Cellar Tours and Tastings – Founded by two brothers from Scotland in the early 1800s, Cockburns is now one of the biggest port producers in the region. This is reflected in the many different tastings they offer, all of which follow a one-hour cellar tour. As with Calem, don’t book anything with fewer than three tastings!
- Self-Guided Tour of the Fonseca Wine Cellars – Worried about your kids getting bored? You can go through this wine cellar (dating back to 1815) at your own pace, and then end your tour with a glass of wine or grape juice. They also have an affordable family ticket for two adults and two kids.
If you’re really into wine and can handle your drinks, you could definitely visit two or three Porto wine cellars in a single day. Just book each one at least two or three hours apart, and try to book them in geographical order (from east to west it’s Burmester, Calem, Fonseca, Cockburns and Grahams, and you’ll pass several others along the way).
Planning a trip to Porto? I’m writing all my Porto travel guides as fast as I can, but for now I recommend you check out:
The Best Douro Valley Wine Tour from Porto
How to Take a Day Trip from Porto to Guimaraes
My Recommended Portugal Tours and Excursions
The Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Porto
The 3 Pairs of Shoes You (Seriously!) Need to Pack for Portugal
(Seriously, I never thought I’d write a post about shoes until I encountered the unimaginably slippery stone sidewalks in Portugal!)
Planning a trip to Portugal? Pin this post for later!
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