If you’ve been curious about cruising through wine regions—or just want a fun, relaxed way to learn more while sipping along at home—I’d love for you to join us. The Second Tuesday of each month at 8pm Central for most months.

We’ll be hosting our next Ports & Pours session on:

Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 8:00 PM Central (Zoom)

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 8:00 PM Central (Zoom) is the following month.

The month’s focus for April is the Douro Valley Region (Portugal & Spain)—one of the most stunning river cruise destinations in the world, known for its terraced vineyards, scenic sailing by day, and incredible wines. Each month it changes to a new wine region!

If you’d like to attend, just register at the website linked at the bottom  and I’ll get you registered to receive the Zoom link! (Maximum 100 people in order of signing up for each month; not open to travel agents)

For those who want to sip along with us, our Sommelier has selected three wines (all available as Winery Direct items from Total Wine):

• Destino Fifth Empire Douro Red Blend

• Quintas das Carvalhas Late Bottled Vintage Port, 2020 (have you tried a 1974 port??)

• Quinta de Cidro Douro Alvarinho, 2023 (not the same one I visited in December)

(Completely optional—feel free to join with whatever you have on hand! We know a Texas Tempranillo can have some ties to that Red Blend and I will throw in another tie to a local winery to me as well to mention!)

I’ll be tying in the cruising side—what it’s like to sail the Douro, what makes it different from other river cruises, and how these wine regions come to life along the itinerary. Even the pre-cruise stay can be amazing! (December 2025 on the Gaia side of Porto video on YouTube)

Hope you can join us for a great evening of wine, travel, and conversation!

** Anything in BLUE means there is a video on my YouTube channel (CruiseByMandy) in the Ports & Pours playlist that I could not add when creating this!

Want to join me November 10-17 embarking in Amsterdam and visiting Cologne en route to Switzerland? (PDF example attached) I'm also returning to Bordeaux in August but first I will be re-visiting the Provence region of France in May that I was at last summer but on the ocean side versus river! So many wine regions to explore and share!

April and how this was introduced for March when we kicked this off! 

Mandy Goddard, M.Ed., CLIA ECC, CTA, PADI, WSET L2 (Wines)

2025 CLIA ECC Hall of Fame Inductee (cruises)

Partnering with a Sommelier / WSET L3 in another state virtually