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A

Porto

lacked something for local enjoy even more of their city and tourists wanted to

stay another day to walk its

streets cobblestone,

its pharaonic churches topped with white tiles and blue,

its cellars

, its patisseries, its terraces to the edge of the Duero ... This is what

Adrian Bridge

, one of the most important businessmen in the city,

thought

.

And that is why he has been shaping his dream for eight years, Wow, short for

World of Wine,

the new cultural district of the city located on the other side of the river, in

Vila Nova de Gaia,

where most of the wineries are listed.

Eight years to raise a wine dream

Wine is the undisputed protagonist of this new

35,000-square-meter

complex

in which Bridge has invested

150 million euros

and which generates 350 direct jobs.

"Travelers needed something to motivate them to

stay a third day in the city

. And Wow is perfect for it," explains Bridge.

With only a few weeks of life, it has already become the fashionable place in Porto thanks to having six museums (the wine museum is only one of them), nine restaurants and bars,

themed shops

, exhibition halls, outdoor spaces free ... Soon, a

Wine School will

be inaugurated

,

among other projects.

All this has been built

on old wineries,

so many of the new centers show original elements such as vaults or cobbled floors.

Open-air plaza of the new Portuguese complex.

All to

boost the city's tourism sector

, one of Bridge's objectives, as it did with the world of wine more than 25 years ago, when it landed in Portugal

from its native United Kingdom

to take care of family businesses.

This is how

The Fladgate Partnership

holding company was

born

, of which he is executive director, integrated, among other projects, by one of the best hotels in Porto,

The Yeatman

, as well as three wineries such as

Taylor's, Croft and Fonseca.

We visit his last pupil, World of Wine.

The Wine Museum, the jewel in the crown

The Museum of Wine (

Wine Experience

) is the favorite, for the moment, of locals and tourists, but Wow has four others (from the history of Porto to the cork, chocolate and Bridge collection of glasses) and soon A sixth will open, the Design and Fashion Museum (Porto Fashion & Fabric Museum).

That of wine is dedicated both to experts in the

oenological universe

and simple amateurs, the main objective of

Beatriz Machado

, its director.

"I wanted everyone to enjoy it and find it accessible, to leave knowing something new and especially

what wine they like and why

", adds the expert.

To do this, in addition to going through the history of wine both internationally and in Portugal, it has a large amount of

interactive material

that allows you to identify your favorite grape (a room goes through the 30 existing varieties), guess what components a wine has through the smell, check

what is the process of a barrel inside

or the phases of the harvest.

Sample of different cocktails at the Wine Museum.

From the history of Porto to that of glasses

We continue the tour of the museums with the one about the history of

the Porto Ages,

which is actually called Porto Region Across the Ages, although it is known by its acronym, Prata.

You will be able to know why the locals are known as

tripeiros

(for their supply of

animal guts

, the only thing they had, during the conquest of Ceuta in 1415), get on one of the first trams in the city or discover the interior of a real nao in the

Hall of Discoveries

.

Inside Wow, Bridge's Pretty Girl is instead the museum that houses her eponymous collection of

1,500 glasses through 9,000 years of history

told through these vessels.

There are them from all times (Ancient Greece, Roman Empire, Medieval ...) and condition (chalices, jugs, bowls ...).

The oldest, however, is a vessel from 7,000 BC of Japanese origin.

The Bridge Collection, with 1,500 types of glasses.

What you can't imagine about chocolate or cork

The

Chocolate Museum

(The Chocolate Story) not only reviews the history of this sweet

delicatessen

from the Colombian era, but also proposes

tastings and pairings

and discovers curiosities such as the first time a tablet appeared in the cinema or on television,

how many Kit Kats are consumed per year

around the world (17.6 billion) or "the varieties that were created to breathe energy into American soldiers in

World War II"

, as the guide Marcos Couto tells.

You can also visit an authentic chocolate factory, which sells

Vinte Vinte

(Twenty Twenty)

chocolate

from Wow.

The name has an explanation: cocoa is grown between coordinates 20 and 20 of the hemispheres.

It is time to enter the

Cork Museum

(Planet Cork), since

Portugal is the world's leading producer of this plant tissue

so used in the cinema to simulate explosions or by NASA itself, which used it as a lining for the

Apollo 11

shuttle

.

Two employees at the Chocolate Museum factory.

Combined tickets for museums

It would be necessary to know the

Museum of Design and Fashion

, since the objective of Wow is not limited to the world of wine, but to be a much broader cultural reference within the city.

It is not yet open to the public, but the place promises, as it is located in a historic building from the 18th century with a chapel by the architect

Nicolau Nasoni

, whose frescoes have been restored.

Each of the Wow museums can be visited independently (general adult admission costs between 14 and 17 euros) or through

joint passes

usable for 48 hours after the first validation (in the case of tickets for two museums) or even three months (tickets for three or five museums).

Sculpture of a grape inside in the Wine Museum.

Eight specialized restaurants and a 'wine bar'

The gastronomic section of World of Wine is made up of nine spaces suitable for all types of diners.

Are these:

The Golden Catch.

Fans of seafood and fresh fish will want to go again and again to this restaurant with entrance from the main square of the City of Wine.

It doesn't matter which maritime dish you choose.

They are all worth it.

From trusted octopus to cod or salmon.

1828

.

This date marked the beginning of the Portuguese Civil War and is the name chosen by Bridge and company for its haute cuisine restaurant as a tribute to the vicissitudes that the country has had to face.

It shows off the most sophisticated decoration of Wow, as well as unique views over Porto.

You have to try their wagyu carpaccio, their foie gras brioche or their tuna tartare.

Root & Wine.

Wow destined this avant-garde and modern style restaurant to its vegetarian clients with a menu that includes

risottos, pokes, hummus, falafel

and all kinds of salads.

Different dishes from the Root & Vine vegetarian restaurant.

VP.

It is the place specializing in traditional cuisine dishes from all over the country such as

alheira

, a sausage based on minced meat, or Algarve clams.

The wine list are also local, of course.

Sigh.

This is the favorite place for those with a sweet tooth, since it is the place specializing in all kinds of sweets and desserts accompanied by a good coffee.

The mythical Belém cakes cannot be missed.

Angel's Share

.

It is the

wine bar

of the new neighborhood and the place with the best views of the city.

Its menu includes more than 50 wine references, as well as all kinds of cocktails, with or without alcohol, including the indigenous and highly successful Porto Tonic, Port wine with tonic.

Live performance at Angel's Share 'wine bar'.

Vinte Vinte Café.

It is the cafeteria of the Chocolate Museum, so its specialties revolve around this delicacy.

We are left with the spectacular truffles.

Lemon Plaza and Mira Mira.

The first is designed for anyone who wants to take a quick break with sandwiches or snacks.

The second, meanwhile, will be located in the future Museum of Design and Fashion.

They are not open yet, but will do so shortly.

Theme shops and other facilities

Each of the museums has its own themed shop, so you can buy from

a bag or a surfboard made from cork

to a tablet of one of the most expensive chocolates in the world, the

Amedei Porcelain,

which costs 15.80 euros.

Wow's offer does not end here, since it has a main open-air plaza and an indoor one for winter where

events and concerts are held.

The facades of the first house each afternoon a

video mapping show

focused on wine.

There are also rooms for exhibitions and the

Port

Wine School

will open in the future

.

Two outdoor spaces in the new City of Wine.

The Yeatman, the port wine hotel

Attached to the Wow complex is

The Yeatman,

considered one of the best hotels in Porto, if not the best ... Specialized in the world of wine, this

five-star

stately style is also owned by the

holding company

led by Adrian Bridge since It was inaugurated in style four years ago under the exclusive label of

Relais & Chateaux.

Its views over the city from the other side of the river, that of Vila Nova de Gaia, are simply breathtaking.

Due to its location and its theme (both the rooms and the general decoration or the spa, with its

wine therapy sessions

, revolve around the elixir of Bacchus) it joins the World of Wine offer, being the perfect accommodation for its visitors .

In addition, it has

the largest Portuguese wine cellar in

the world.

The Yeatman hotel revolves around wine.

|

More information

on schedules and reservations on the World of Wine (Wow) website, available in Spanish.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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