‘You just go wow’: wine city Porto’s ‘emotionally powerful’ drinking vessel collection tells of man’s relationship with alcohol through the ages

The Portuguese city’s World of Wine district is home to port wine magnate Adrian Bridge’s collection of 2,000 drinking vessels spanning 9,000 years of history

The exhibition shows cups from ancient China and Japan, and one that may have been used by Alexander the Great. We see first hand some of the most impressive

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The Bridge collection in Porto’s World of Wine district exhibits 2,000 cups spanning 9,000 years – including this terracotta drinking vessel from Japan, the oldest in the collection. Photo: Chris Dwyer

Published: 4:15pm, 4 Jul 2023

The Unesco World Heritage site of Oporto, in northern Portugal – better known in the English-speaking world as Porto – is linked to the world of wine like few cities.

It not only gave its name to port wine, but is home to arguably the world’s most remarkable private collection of drinking vessels.

They are housed in a dedicated museum in the World of Wine cultural district, known as WOW, adjacent to the Douro, the river that enabled the port trade – and the British penchant for the fortified wine – to flourish from the 18th century onwards.

The Bridge Collection, consisting of more than 2,000 items, belongs to and is named after Adrian Bridge, chief executive of The Fladgate Partnership, which owns port producers including Taylor’s (which began producing the drink in 1692) and Croft (1707).

It’s safe to say that there’s no better way to experience the collection than on a tour led by the man himself, a British polymath who clearly loves a story.

Porto’s World of Wine cultural district is close to the Douro River. Photo: Chris Dwyer

“The Bridge Collection is 9,000 years of drinking vessels, telling the story of mankind and its association with alcohol,” he says.