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Fonseca Guimaraens 1976. Still a bizarre wine, black-rex colour, hardly any sediment, tasting like chalk and black cherry. So strange. Not growing up at all. 88/100.

It sounds wonderful! I love your writeups and photographs. It's almost as if I were there! I also like first photograph (the map), which showed the room rate as 242 EUR? That's really not bad at all for a high-end hotel. Is the room rate the same in all 3 wings, or does that vary? It varies by room...

And that concludes my write-up of my visit to the most excellent Kopke Tivoli in Vila Nova de Gaia - unreservedly recommended.

In fairness to the Tivoli, the rooms at the Yeatman are ridiculously large. It feels like a quarter of a mile from door to terrace. And the baths… I decided to have a bath in my room there one evening and it took about 30 minutes to fill. But at least once the bath is full you can swim lengths unti...

In summary, the hotel was wonderful and we are definitely returning to stay again — and have already booked! What did it for us was the staff. The staff are absolutely wonderful. They have created an atmosphere at the hotel which is relaxed and comfortable while still proving immaculate service. Nac...

IMG_1179.jpeg It might be a little mundane, but the car park is definitely worth a mention. In a town where car parking spaces are at a premium, the hotel has a secure, gated and internal car park sitting in the centre of the building. The space has 3 rapid charging points, wide spaces to comfortab...

The hotel comes with a spa and 24 hour gym. It will surprise no-one to learn that I didn't try out the gym - but it looked very impressive and was built around a full width, floor-to-ceiling window looking over the Douro. The spa offers a wide variety of massage and other treatments, an indoor pool,...

IMG_1153.jpeg Breakfast is served in the Boa Vista restaurant on the middle floor of the hotel. In the summer breakfast will be available on the terrace but in February we were very happy to take the option to eat inside! (The restaurant is also the family restaurant. We had Sunday lunch with frien...

IMG_1106.jpeg The rooms are all of a similar size. There's no getting away from the fact that they are smaller than the rooms at the Yeatman, but they are very well appointed. All have walk-in showers, some of the suites also have baths. All the rooms come supplied with steamers, perfect for gettin...

IMG_1099.jpeg To one side of the wine bar is the destination restaurant. The hotel has partnered with Nacho Manzano, the three Michelin starred Asturian chef responsible for the success of his family's restaurant Casa Marcial. The menu for the hotel will be based on the legacy of the rich culinary ...

IMG_1143.jpeg The hub of the hotel, and to one side of the reception area, is the wine bar and destination restaurant. Both have stunning views over the gardens, the river and of Porto opposite. IMG_1141.jpeg One side of the wine bar is made up of a wall of glass fronted wine storage cabinets. Kopk...

The interiors of the hotel are true to its origin, as a warehouse being used to store and mature Port. Some of the internal walls show the massive stone blocks used to construct the original walls and where the rooms beams used to sit. IMG_1065.jpeg Other areas of newer construction are more modern,...

The hotel makes the most of its outside space with the majority of rooms having some form of private outdoor space, but the communal areas spread across 5 floors. IMG_1054.jpeg In the summer the hotel will really come into its own. There is the rooftop bar, a terrace outside the wine bar, outdoor ta...

IMG_7700.jpeg IMG_1111.jpeg The indoor pool is small but well appointed with two waterfalls, two jacuzzi seats and three bubble jets for guests to swim through. All this in a room with a reflective glass ceiling that when combined with the picture windows makes the space feel much larger than it re...

Our arrival was not on the best of days and the background to our exploration of the hotel was of high, grey cloud. But it didn't take a lot of imagination to see how the outdoor pool in the gardens will be a magical place on a hot and sunny day. Surrounded by a manicured lawn, with sunbeds scattere...

The hotel has 120 rooms ranging from "Skylight" rooms where the natural light is provided by a lightwell through the roof of the old warehouse - which also provides a little outside space in the summer - to some large penthouse suites. The majority of rooms are facing Porto with views of t...

Taxis drop off in Rua do Barão de Forrester. You can tell when you arrive because the wall suddenly turns a terracotta red. The entrance to the hotel is clear and leads to a wide patio and a flight of steps down to reception — but if you arrive with bags then use the lift in the black glass cubicle ...

Saturday 1st February 2025 saw the opening day of Gaia’s latest luxury hotel. Aimed at being a direct competitor to the Yeatman, the Kopke Tivoli is a conversion of part of Kopke’s cellars that lie just a block up the hill from the river, on the opposite side of the road from the Hilton and the Niep...

Starboard batch 88, a half bottle filled about 20 years ago. Sealed with a t-stopper, made from Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cão and Tinta Amarela. Imported by Cabot Cellars, Orchard House, Nailsea, Bristol, BS19 1JD. Deep orange in colour with a hint of cherry in the tone; 40% opaque. Mild blueberry and whit...

6cl sample of Messias 50YO White. Dark brown colour, 30% opaque. Generous vinagrinho on the nose, but not much fruit. On the palate the wine shows more fruit, dried apple, mango and a fragrant acacia honey. All combine to deliver a wonderful mouthful of wine. Dark honey and fragrant lime oil dance a...

6cl sample of Messias 40YO white. Darker and more brown than the 30YO. A wonderful clover honey on the nose, sweet and complex. So refined on the palate! Smooth, perfumed honey just oozes over the tongue - but don’t miss the acidity that lurks and smirks under all that honey. Glorious honey and lemo...

6cl sample of Messias 30YO white. A step up from the 20YO on the nose, a little denser in the honeyed fruit. Rich apricot and peach in syrup on the palate, slightly thickened in texture. The acidity is pitched just perfectly to give a big aftertaste full of satsuma zest. Big, delicious and well bala...

Messias White 20YO - a 6cl sample tube not properly sealed and which had leaked a little in transit. A dark amber colour. Much better balanced on the nose than the 10YO White tasted alongside this wine, this has a richness and ripeness to the fruit that is welcoming. The balance holds on the palate;...

Messias White 10YO - 6cl sample tube not properly sealed and which had leaked a little in transit. A warm golden colour. Gentle tinned peaches on the nose, with a bitterness to the sweet fruit on the palate. A long finish of white radish - herbaceous but bitter - with a distinct minerality to it. No...

B&F has not been booked but I have been told that there is still availability for a table for 14 people.