World of Wine (WOW) #166
It is unique in the world
WOW is one of Portugal’s largest tourist attractions and quite possibly one of the biggest in the world. Adrian Bridge, founder and CEO, shared about this new wonder of the world: “It is truly unique, which has made its promotion somewhat challenging, as people do not always grasp its concept immediately”. However, situated in the south bank of River Douro, it offers fantastic views over Porto city’s skyline and its waterfront, appealing to a wide audience. WOW has six permanent museums, along with six restaurants, two cafes and a wine bar. Additionally, it has The Wine School as part of its offerings. It was launched on July 31st, 2020, in the midst of the Covid pandemic. In 2023, WOW welcomed just under 150,000 visitors to the museums and served over 300,000 meals in the restaurants.
A cultural district with a WOW factor
In fact, WOW is not just an entertainment center for guests of the country. It was built to serve 80% tourists and 20% the local market. WOW is a huge new cultural district where everyone is welcome. In the historic heart of Vila Nova de Gaia, just a short distance from the centre of Porto and the Douro River, WOW pays homage to culture, history and Portugal’s main industries.
6 restaurants, 2 cafes and a wine bar
These include 1828 steakhouse, where young, fruity vintage Ports can be paired with steak; Golden Catch, fish and seafood restaurant; Mira Mira, Chef Ricardo Costa’s fine dining restaurant; T&C, the traditional Portuguese gastronomic restaurant; Root&Vine, where respect for raw ingredients and the artistry of Japanese techniques unite; and PIP, with delicious meals to share with the family. At WOW, one can find Angel’s Share, wine and cocktail bar, Vinte Vinte Café, specialized in chocolate, and Suspiro, with pastry and cake design delights.
Everything about Wine
The Wine Experience Museum, dedicated to both amateur drinkers and experienced winemakers, aims to demystify wine. It’s an extraordinary journey from grape to bottle! In an interactive way, it presents the world of wine in a global context, then delving deeper into Portuguese wine regions. In the end, visitors will also go from theory to practice with the tasting of 3 styles of wine.
The other WOW museums
Pink Palace is an exaggerated, flamboyant and sensory experience that immerses visitors in the world of rosé. Each room of this museum is different and unique, creating photo worthy and shareable moments and experiences. To try five different rosés, diving into a pool of pink balls or getting into a big, charming Cadillac, Hollywood-style, everything is possible inside the Pink Palace.
The Bridge Collection is an archaeological museum that has more than 2000 artefacts used by different civilizations over 9000 years. It is a deep immersion in world’s history told through the ritual of drinking. The collection of these high valued wine glasses belongs to WOW’s CEO, Adrian Bridge, and remains one of the most comprehensive private collections of drinking vessels in the world.
Planet Cork shows how cork oaks are harvested and how the huge slabs are transformed into wine and sparkling wine cork stoppers. The museum allows the visitor into a travel from field environment to the factory ambience, to then review all the applications of cork in our daily lives: they are countless and surprising! It shows that cork is a wonderful world and Portugal is the largest producer of cork on the planet!
The Chocolate Story takes the visitor from tree to tasting: from cocoa plantations to chocolate manufacturing processes, everything is demonstrated step by step in twelve different stages. At WOW, there is a real chocolate factory and all visitors have the privilege of watching, in real time, the processes of the transformation of cocoa seeds into chocolate.
Porto Region Across the Ages recounts the history of Porto region and is an excellent starting point to understand the historical and cultural heritage of the city called “Invicta” (undefeated). The journey takes place in a time machine, from the first civilizations that inhabited this territory to today’s prosperity of Porto. Across a cinema room, a video mapping show and a life-size replica of a tram, this museum dynamically reveals the character of a region and its people: a concentrate of vigor and energy, of affability and clearance.
WOW also has a museum for temporary exhibitions – the Atkinson Museum.