This summer will see the opening of World of Wine (Wow) in Porto.

Following five years of development and €105 million of investment, Wow is a collection of six immersive museum experiences, nine restaurants, bars, and cafes, event spaces, temporary exhibition space, retail outlets and a wine school.

Covering more than 55,000 square metres of restored and regenerated wine cellars, it is a new cultural district within the city and is one of the largest tourism projects to launch in Europe this year.

Designed around a central open-air square to provide the best views over Porto and the Douro River’s stunning landscape, Wow will offer world-class experiences curated to appeal to a wide variety of visitors to the city.

The launch will see the Wine Experience demystify wine, taking visitors on a sensorial journey of discovery – exploring regions, climates, grape varieties and production methods that make wine so diverse.

Porto Region Across the Ages aims to lay bare Porto’s history, helping to put the city, its people and culture into context.

At Planet Cork, visitors will discover cork and explore this underplayed sustainable and innovative industry.

The Bridge Collection – 9,000 Years of Drinking, tells the story of humanity through the evolution of drinking vessels whilst The Chocolate Story, takes the visitor on a journey into the wonderful world of cacao and chocolate.

Later in 2020, Wow will open the sixth experience in the form of the Fashion & Fabric Museum, which shines a light on Portugal’s textiles, fashion and jewellery industry and the Wow Wine School, which will offer a variety of daily and multi-day workshops on Portuguese wine and gastronomy.

Each of the six experiences feature educational presentations, interactive displays and historical artefacts, bringing Portugal’s identity and heritage to life.

Wow founder, Adrian Bridge, commented: “Through engaging cultural experiences, our goal at Wow is to help define Porto as a cultural destination, telling the story not only of wine for which the city is world famous, but also of the city, its people and their adventures across the ages.

“For any visitor to Porto or Portugal, Wow should be on their list of things to do and see”.

The project is spearheaded by the Fladgate Partnership, owners of Port wine brands such as Taylor, Croft, Fonseca, and Krohn, as well as luxury hotels in Portugal including the Yeatman and Infante Sagres in Porto, and the Vintage House Hotel in the Douro Valley.