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Sandeman Cellars

Sandeman Cellars

Sandeman Cellars
4
Speciality MuseumsWineries & Vineyards
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Majestically situated across the Douro river, looking toward the historic centre of Porto, in a granite building dated 1797, The House of Sandeman invites you to an experience full of mystery and seduction, in a setting which balances a traditional yet cosmopolitan atmosphere.
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  • Stephanie B
    12 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Visit the Sandeman!!🍷
    We are so glad we booked this guided tour of the wine cellars! You get the full experience, with the tour guide dressing as the Sandeman logo himself! We aren’t wine/port connoisseurs so the tour information was just right and very interesting! Our guide was Monica and she was fantastic…very knowledgeable, could answer all our questions and added a little humour along the way. The port tasting was a great way to end the experience. They also have a lovely seating area overlooking the River Douro where you can grab further refreshments! Would definitely recommend. And only 19€ per person (16£)!! You need to book in advance though as slots fill up very quickly and you wouldn’t want to miss out!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 8, 2023
  • Catherine H
    185 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Port Experience
    Great tour of the Sandeman Cellars. Lots of interesting facts told by the 'Don' alongside lots of interesting sights. Good sized tastings were offered at the end which were delicious! Shop is sizable too.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 20, 2023
  • Julia A
    London, United Kingdom405 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Iconic!
    If you know your wine, there are probably better places to go for a port tasting and tour but if you want an intro level, this is the place to go. Everyone probably recognises the Sandeman logo from a bottle in their grandparents house and the guide takes the tour dressed in the cape and hat. Its not just a gimmick, the guides are very knowledgeable and explain the history and production very well. The tour end with a tasting of three very generously poured ports - very good value for eur 19!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 22, 2023
  • Nettetrips
    Lancashire, United Kingdom51 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great experience
    I visited the Sanderman cellars whilst in Porto with a friend. The guide was cheerful, informative, and entertaining. It was good to mix with different nationalities and swap experiences whilst tasting the port. I'd recommend it for a different experience on a city trip.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written November 22, 2023
  • Square Bear
    43 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An atmospheric tour but students take note…….
    We did the 28 Euro 5 wines tasting tour which was very good. The only disappointment was that our very knowledgeable female guide did not wear the distinctive Sandemans cloak uniform (which the male guides did), and which was why we booked the tour with this particular company in the first place. The tasting of the 5 wines at the end of the cellar tour was in the 1790 Room which is was very atmospheric. We were told the that the 16 Euro student combo ticket that allowed entry to the Palacio da Bolsa and a 3 wine tasting tour at Sandemans represented excellent value, but the tasting did not occur in the 1790 Room, but in a public service room cum shop. A lovely attraction that we would readily recommend.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 31, 2024
  • FlyMaliToTheMoon
    125 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice introduction to Port
    We booked the 50mts English tour, with three tastings at the end. It was a nice introduction to Port, the region and history. We were glad we chose this tour with Sandeman over others as it was the first and oldest Port making establishments. The tasting at the end was generous, and we were able to stay at our leisure and enjoy the tastings. However, as we stepped outside, we saw that Sandeman had their own cocktail terrace outside, and we spent a lovely hour in the sun with delicious and unusual Port cocktails alongside bowls of olives, rosemary crisps, fresh sourdough bread selections from their appetiser menu
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 7, 2024
  • Life2Travel
    Charlotte, North Carolina1,651 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Loved it, book ahead on line if possible
    We were in Porto for the day on a cruise and spent our afternoon touring two port wine lodges. Our first stop was at Sandeman's and it did not disappoint. The building has an impressive location on the waterfront in Gaia. We had booked our tour in English with 3 port tastings on line several weeks before our trip. I would highly suggest booking on line, as many people were turned away or had to wait several hours for the next available tour in their desired language. It is clear they have invested money in the interior for the tour experience. The entrance hall has multiple exhibits regarding the history of the port house, the brand and the logo. It also contains an interesting collection of vintage port bottles that were used over the decades. The tour started on time and our guide was dressed in "the Don" cloak and hat which added to the experience. She was friendly, knowledgeable and provided good detail of port making, the industry, and history of Sandeman. The tour ended in a nicely appointed tasting room and after a quick description of our port tastings, we were free to enjoy our port at our leisure. There is a small gift shop as well as a lovely outdoor patio that serves appetizers and drinks. Highly recommended!
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 14, 2024
  • teacher_from_Iowa
    62 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting historical tour
    The 1-hour tour was fascinating as we toured the cellars. We learned so much history about the area, port wine making, and this particular cellar. We were in a group of 10-12 with an excellent English-speaking guide. There was a private wine-tasting in an elegant room at the end.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 25, 2024
  • Angel2707
    United Kingdom192 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very interesting
    Booked the 1 hour tour online which came with a tasting of 3 ports at the end. I felt like this was the perfect length of tour. Our guide was lovely and wore the signature Sandeman cape. We learnt a lot on the tour which was really interesting. Having never tried port before we really enjoyed the tasting at the end. There is zero pressure to purchase anything on your way out through the shop. Highly recommend.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 2, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles2,020 reviews
Excellent
849
Very good
792
Average
222
Poor
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Terrible
72

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Life2Travel
Charlotte, NC1,651 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
We were in Porto for the day on a cruise and spent our afternoon touring two port wine lodges. Our first stop was at Sandeman's and it did not disappoint. The building has an impressive location on the waterfront in Gaia. We had booked our tour in English with 3 port tastings on line several weeks before our trip. I would highly suggest booking on line, as many people were turned away or had to wait several hours for the next available tour in their desired language.

It is clear they have invested money in the interior for the tour experience. The entrance hall has multiple exhibits regarding the history of the port house, the brand and the logo. It also contains an interesting collection of vintage port bottles that were used over the decades. The tour started on time and our guide was dressed in "the Don" cloak and hat which added to the experience. She was friendly, knowledgeable and provided good detail of port making, the industry, and history of Sandeman. The tour ended in a nicely appointed tasting room and after a quick description of our port tastings, we were free to enjoy our port at our leisure. There is a small gift shop as well as a lovely outdoor patio that serves appetizers and drinks. Highly recommended!
Written May 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

YayeMama
Maplewood, NJ919 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
When visiting Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, it's hard to decide which port house to visit for a tour. All are inviting and offer port tastings. We settled on Sandeman Cellars, since it's easy to buy Sandeman port in our location in the US. Now that airlines are charging a lot of $$ to check in luggage, it's not worth checking in souveniers.

Sandeman Cellars offers a nice and informative tour. They are located in the center of the port houses as you cross over the Dom Luis bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia. The staff is attentive and speaks several languages to accomodate everyone.

We tried 6 different ports - from you to aged 25 years and also had a white port in the mix.
Written April 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LucaChiaraD
Bologna, Italy5,896 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
We booked the visit the day before (visit with final tasting of three wines €19). The guide dressed as Don, symbol of the Sandeman winery, tells the story of the brand, its symbol, the production and conservation methods and at the end there is a tasting of three wines, red, rosé and white. For me, who knew absolutely nothing about this winery, it was very interesting. The only complaint is that it is perhaps a little expensive.
Google
Written October 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SeetheWorld15
Sedona, AZ86 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022 • Couples
Since Porto is so known for, well, port, my husband and I wanted to tour at least one of the port warehouses in Gaia and we chose Sandeman basically due to name recognition. We had a really informative tour led by a caped and hatted guide who was completely fluent in English ( there are other language tours also). The history of the company, the logo and the relationship to the Douro valley were all explained as well as how port itself is made. We tasted three ports at the end and really recommend this tour as it was informative and fun.
Written October 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

hmez4
Woking, UK51 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
My partner and I went on the 1790 tour. We hadn’t booked in advance but reception/ticket sales were really helpful and said we could return in 25 mins for a tour and tasting. The tour was just myself, my partner and Maria. She was very knowledgeable and friendly, answering any questions we had and checked to make sure we understood. It was a cool experience to see all the barrels and we both feel like we learned a lot about port. We had a tasting of 5 port wines and Maria talked us through each of them. She very kindly also gave us an additional 2 reserve tawnys to taste that we’re delicious as it was my partner’s birthday! She also checked up on us whilst we were finishing off the remaining port to see if we she could help us with anything else. Maria is the best!!
Written July 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cameraeatsfirst_manu
Eindhoven, The Netherlands40 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020 • Couples
Sandeman is one of my favorite Port wine and I really like their image. When the time I got there, there was no outdoor bar like I saw in the other review. Maybe it’s because of the curfew, also the frequency of the tour was reduced. The tour took around 40mins and it went really well, the guide was trying to be funny and spoke good English, very easy to understand. The cellar was big and there were a lot of big barrels. Everything was well explained and at the end there’s the wine tasting. The guide was really friendly and nice and took pictures with us. We bought a bottle of vintage Port because it’s a very good year according to them and also it’s a year to be remembered. Overall I really recommend you to join the tour in Sandeman.
Written January 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

212jorge
Murnau, Germany34 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Rarely have I gotten so little for 2 x €21 per person. First, a trivial tour past a few wine barrels with simple explanations. Then a short film showing with the same explanations. At the end, each participant is given three glasses of port wine in the sales room for tasting (without bread). The tour guide disappears after you have to guess what is in the glass. Overall: a complete disappointment - much cheaper: you can buy a bottle of port wine in the sales room or, even better, from another, more reputable supplier!
Google
Written February 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bangaloreshaw
San Jose, CA22 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2024 • Couples
On June 5th, my husband took the Sandeman port workshop (3 hrs at 68 euros) at 2.15pm and I signed up for the basic 1 hour tasting for 21 euro at 4.15pm. In theory we should have finished at the same time. However my husbands 3 hour class was done in under 2 hours, before my tastings had even started.

For the workshop to be only 2/3 at most of what was advertised was bad enough, but to also wreck the timings of one of our few afternoons in Porto was another.
Written June 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Julia A
London, UK405 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
If you know your wine, there are probably better places to go for a port tasting and tour but if you want an intro level, this is the place to go. Everyone probably recognises the Sandeman logo from a bottle in their grandparents house and the guide takes the tour dressed in the cape and hat. Its not just a gimmick, the guides are very knowledgeable and explain the history and production very well. The tour end with a tasting of three very generously poured ports - very good value for eur 19!
Written October 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ingrid Moser
Vienna, Austria3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
We were in Portugal with an Austrian tour group in October 2023 and visited the Sandeman port wine cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia. Our guide in a Zorro costume spoke excellent German and was very funny with anecdotes about what it feels like after too much port wine. The whole tour was very informative and entertaining. At the end there were two types of port to try. In the shop afterwards you could browse to your heart's content, the prices there are very moderate.
Google
Written November 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Sandeman Cellars - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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