According to Lusa news Agency, the transfer of the museum to a building in Rua da Reboleira has been used to “reformulate the concept” of the institution, which now “highlights the importance of the local authorities on the regulation of the wine trade”.


The Port Wine Museum, which is a key branch of the Museu da Cidade (City Museum), had since 2004 been based in a former warehouse at Cais Novo, in the Massarelos neighbourhood. According to the website of municipal company Go Porto, preparations for the move began in 2016, at an estimated total cost of some €128,000.


“In this new space, the importance of the local authorities in regulating the wine trade in general and of port wine in particular is evident,” the municipality states.


According to the council, “the centuries-old function of the city’s government in ensuring its supplies includes the functions of obtaining, storing and distributing provisions” as well as “decision and oversight” in relation to various aspects of the trade.


The new premises “gathers, systematises and presents various objects in the municipality’s possession relating to the theme, but which were scattered across different branches”, the council explains.


The council’s website notes that the trade aspect of port wine – which is its strongest connection to the city – is the main focus of the new museum.


The new museum complements existing displays at the IVDP – the Institute of Douro and Porto Wines – and in the port wine cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia and in the upper Douro valley, while it “introduces a different narrative about this product, focusing on the role of the municipality in the business.”