The Lodge of Rozès is one of the lesser known lodges in Gaia – it’s a little bit further away from the river than most other lodges in Gaia and also because visits are only possible with an appointment.

Contrary to many other lodges, parking is here no problem – which is nice, as the lodge is located quite high on a relatively steep hill – it’s much easier to reach here by car than by walking…

The lodge itself welcomes the visitor with a very nice, friendly reception – and from here we walk downstairs into the main lodge. The first room downstairs is one of the more interesting places in Gaia… It’s a place where you wouldn’t be surprised if the last Templar Knights meet here for their annual reunion… or if a Harry Potter movie might have been filmed here… or if “Angels & Demons” Robert Langdon could find here a few clues on the search for the Holy Grail. It’s a mystic and magical place. On the left side we find two smaller rooms in which hundreds of old Port Wine bottles mature undisturbed behind big metal fences. But the most interesting feature here is the entrance to a century-old tunnel, that is believed to be 2 kilometers long, leading towards the cave of Taylor’s. I had no idea of the existence of a tunnel system in Gaia… The tunnel glows in a warm orange light, that adds perfectly to the ancient, romantic mood down here.

Here are also the tables where you might have a glass of Port waiting for you after you finish the tour. Allover the room you will find old Port Wine bottles that might trigger your interest. Like the bottle that was signed by the participants of the “Barco Rabelo Regatta” 1986… or a 15 (!) year old Tawny with indication of age…

After this very nicely decorated room, in which time seems to have stood still, we enter the storage place for the barrels. As it is typical for Port Wine lodges, we find barrels in all shapes and forms. As it happens so often in Gaia, we enter the room by going downstairs into the basement… and thanks to the inclination of the hill we realize suddenly at the other end of the room that we are two floors above the road level… Gaia is incredibly 3-dimensional and has always provided architects with challenges.

The mood in this place is like in so many other lodges very peaceful and quiet… while you walk along the barrels you get fed with information about the different Port Wine categories and you learn about the history of Rozès. We had the luck that the managing director António Saraiva was leading us himself through the lodge – which made the visit very, very interesting.

After the tour you can buy Port Wine at reasonable prices – and what better souvenir of a trip to Porto than a few bottles from a lodge that you have visited. Later, in the winter, you can sit in your living-room and open the bottle… and start making your plans to come back to Porto in the next summer…

Compared with other, commercial lodge tours this is a small, very individual tour – but as mentioned, you need an appointment. As the lodge is quite small and the employees are busy, it might be that you have to wait quite some time before you get the invitation for a tour. I am not 100% sure about the company policy towards visitors – but if you confirm your interest in Port Wine and Rozès, I hope you will be able to get your appointment to visit this interesting place.

Rua Cândido dos Reis, 526-532
4400-070 Vila Nova de Gaia
Tel.: +351 223 771 680
Fax: +351 223 771 689

Web-Page: www.rozes.com.pt

Email: rozes@rozes.pt