The Yeatman Hotel

Rua do Choupelo, (Santa Marinha) 4400-088 Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto

Forget chardonnay and merlot. If you want to discover new wines, visit Portugal and try its indigenous grape varieties, such as the earthy baga and citrusy arinto. You’ll find them all at The Yeatman, in Porto. This is a wine hotel with knobs on. Opened in August 2010, it has a spa with treatments such as cabernet scrub, a decanter-shaped infinity pool and a Michelin-starred restaurant boasting one of the world’s best Portuguese wine lists, offering more than 1,100 bins. It also hosts dinners (on Thursdays) with producers from across Portugal’s 11 wine regions who happily plunder their cellars for older vintages to share with guests. They also lend their names to each of the 82 bedrooms, to which they contribute artefacts, photographs of vineyards and, of course, bottles of wine. Traditional details, such as Portuguese ceramic tiles and louvred shutters accent the elegant, modern furnishings, and every room has a private balcony that overlooks the glittering Douro river and the tumbling splendour of Porto’s historic mansions. Chef Ricardo Costa’s inventive dishes include a liquid-cured ham croquette and cheese soup with Port sorbet. Yep, there’s no doubting the vinous theme here – but then the hotel is owned by port producer Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman. Mine’s a 40-year-old Tawny. FS. Doubles from £160.