“Do you want to try something else really good?” Dirk Niepoort says to me just after pouring a 1977 Garrafeira Port into my wine stained glass. Of course, there is only one answer to such a question, and with port still sitting in my mouth as I restrained from swallowing what is perhaps one of my new favorite wines, I nodded vigorously and followed him out onto the terrace of our restaurant to a beat up old cardboard box holding half empty bottles with corks sticking out their tops. Haphazardly grabbing a 1957 Colheita out from the depths of the box, I watch intently as he tipped the bottle into my glass as waves of eager anticipation crept into my belly. Savoring the sensation as the wine touched my lips, I was in love. This was the end of what turned out to be one of the better wine experiences I can remember and a recurring theme when hanging out with the infamous Douro Boys!

On this particular evening of our trip to Oporto, we were originally supposed to taste all of Douro Boy wines at small restaurant; but here in Portugal, a schedule is a mere suggestion and adaptation is not so much a conscious choice as a crucial part of any evenings on the fly coordination. Consequently, we ended up at a small and intimate café that serviced the Modern Art Museum’s Botanical Garden, and whose sign at the counter stated, “It is prohibited to sell or consume alcoholic beverages in this area”, a warning that held very little meaning with so many fine ports sitting next to it! With …