Newman Wine Vaults
Newman Wine Vaults
4.2
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.2
115 reviews
Excellent
49
Very good
44
Average
16
Poor
5
Terrible
1
Cannuckk
Langley, Canada380 contributions
Oct 2024 • Solo
There isn’t a whole lot to “see” at this site, so my “excellent” rating is for the chance to spend half an hour chatting with, and listening to, your tour guide about the somewhat unusual history of how St. John’s accidentally became involved in the port wine trade some 400 years ago.
Now I would say that I visited near the end of the season, when things aren’t busy, and therefore had the advantage of a personal tour from Jess, who was friendly and accommodating of my many questions. It wasn’t expensive ( $4 senior rate, $6 non discounted) and included a sample tasting of Port. If you visit during a busier time, or decide not to do the guided tour, then all bets are off as to whether you will feel this attraction is worthwhile.
Now I would say that I visited near the end of the season, when things aren’t busy, and therefore had the advantage of a personal tour from Jess, who was friendly and accommodating of my many questions. It wasn’t expensive ( $4 senior rate, $6 non discounted) and included a sample tasting of Port. If you visit during a busier time, or decide not to do the guided tour, then all bets are off as to whether you will feel this attraction is worthwhile.
Written October 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rustyhook
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada61 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
Stayed downtown for summer vacation and an easy walk. Small admission charge applied but included guided tour with some interesting background information as well. Original vaults for storage of port and development of trade for product.
Smaller than expected but is the original structure and still found it interesting. Admission included a small glass of port to try the product. When we were there it also included doublesite pass that paying admission here got free admission to The Commissariat at opposite side of town - walked there afterwards (long walk) and enjoyed it as well.
Smaller than expected but is the original structure and still found it interesting. Admission included a small glass of port to try the product. When we were there it also included doublesite pass that paying admission here got free admission to The Commissariat at opposite side of town - walked there afterwards (long walk) and enjoyed it as well.
Written September 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert D
Brooklyn, New York5,465 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
Newman's Wine Vaults was surprisingly very good. We had a guide explain the significance of the wine vaults and had a tasting of the port. When the Portuguese stored their wine in Newfoundland, they discovered that it improved the taste. The wines was shaken by the rough sea voyage and stored in dark cool caves. We then could see the barrel vault that was used to store wine and some of the equipment used as well as old bottles of the port wine.
Written October 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
George A
Phoenix, AZ307 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
I was expecting more, or maybe visited during the off-season. It was C$6 for admission, and that only gets you access to 2 rooms which are just brick-lined vaults for storing the port back in the day. There are a few boards along the walls telling the story of how the English brought wine from Portugal, stored it here to age, then shipped it back to England for sale. A couple of black and white photos try to make this seem impressive, but it's nothing you couldn't read off the internet. The building doesn't add anything to the experience. At the end, the included port tasting was a few drops of wine in a plastic thimble cup. I barely spent 15 minutes in here. Skip it.
Written June 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yyesiamtrish2
Victoria, Canada1,564 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
Great stop for a short visit. Very interesting and well presented display of the wine vault and history of Newman and Company port. Katherine, the on site tour host, was very knowledgeable and informed on many topics, including the art of port making, and the history of the company and wine vault. The port tasting was delicious and appreciated. Well worth your time, and can fully view the display areas in about 30 minutes.
Written June 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bucko007
Sudbury, Canada1,157 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
Very informative tour of the vault. Danielle our guide was very good. We went early in the morning before it got busy. That end of Water street is pretty quiet. It was cool to see some original artifacts. A small sample of Port wine at the end. It was good.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris A
Alexandria, VA34 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
We weren't really big wine drinkers when we came here in 2014 but it was still really fascinating to learn about the wine trade in Newfoundland from way back when. The samples of port at the end of the tour were a plus. This is a quick stop and admission is free if you have a Parks Canada pass. I highly recommend visiting.
Written April 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlbertaChristiegirl
Calgary, Canada2,154 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
My husband & I visited the Newman Wine Vaults on Discovery Day so admission was free (normally $6.00 & you can take a guided tour).
On this day, we toured the vaults on our own but there were several staff offering us the history of the vaults. The practice of aging Newman's Port in Newfoundland dates back to 1679, when a Portuguese boat loaded with port wine bound for London ended up in the Atlantic Ocean. After weathering severe Atlantic storms, the captain decided to head for St. John's, where the ship stayed for the winter months. The cargo of port wine was safely stored in caves in the Southside Hills of St. John's.
The following spring the ship left for England again & it was soon discovered that the port that had over-wintered in Newfoundland had acquired a bouquet, a smoothness and a flavor that it did not have before. From that point on, Newman and Company decided to age its port wine in Newfoundland. The practice continued at the wine vaults on Water Street from the early nineteenth century onwards. The wine was aged in the vaults by the Newman's until at least 1893, possibly until 1914.
We enjoyed the 45 minutes we spent here, reading the history & simply touching and feeling the old stone & history. We are glad we took the time to tour this historic part of St. John's.
As a tourist, it is conveniently located just outside downtown St. John's on Water Street, it's an easy walk. Other options include using The Link and/or Hop on Hop Off bus stops right here on their route.
On this day, we toured the vaults on our own but there were several staff offering us the history of the vaults. The practice of aging Newman's Port in Newfoundland dates back to 1679, when a Portuguese boat loaded with port wine bound for London ended up in the Atlantic Ocean. After weathering severe Atlantic storms, the captain decided to head for St. John's, where the ship stayed for the winter months. The cargo of port wine was safely stored in caves in the Southside Hills of St. John's.
The following spring the ship left for England again & it was soon discovered that the port that had over-wintered in Newfoundland had acquired a bouquet, a smoothness and a flavor that it did not have before. From that point on, Newman and Company decided to age its port wine in Newfoundland. The practice continued at the wine vaults on Water Street from the early nineteenth century onwards. The wine was aged in the vaults by the Newman's until at least 1893, possibly until 1914.
We enjoyed the 45 minutes we spent here, reading the history & simply touching and feeling the old stone & history. We are glad we took the time to tour this historic part of St. John's.
As a tourist, it is conveniently located just outside downtown St. John's on Water Street, it's an easy walk. Other options include using The Link and/or Hop on Hop Off bus stops right here on their route.
Written July 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
blubbablubb
3 contributions
Sept 2022 • Family
Stumped upon this by accident but was very interesting story. Very friendly and nice guide.
Had to buy a bottle after the visit.
Had to buy a bottle after the visit.
Written September 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
photogs2
Fort Qu'Appelle107 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
We were going by and saw the old stone building and thought we might have a look. Well, we learned about the history of Port in Newfoundland from 300 years ago to the 20th century. Our guide Ann was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed our time there. There was even a wee sample of the Newman’s port. It’s only available in Newfoundland and a couple of other spots in Canada. We’re taking some home.
Written June 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
You'd have to approach them directly. I was just a tourist
Written October 27, 2017
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