theLAB.Porto

Goodbye, for now, and thanks for all the wine

What started as an office on Rua do Bonjardim evolved into an art gallery to support the local scene. With extra space to spare—and a main business in luxury wine travel—we added a tasting room and accidentally opened Porto's first natural wine shop, focusing exclusively on small, natural, and organic producers. After pivoting through COVID, theLAB grew alongside a vibrant community of new shops, wonderful interns, and friends. In 2024, we welcomed Mike to run day-to-day operations. Events became regular, Instagram was flooded with pugs, and we started the Better Together Collective to support small businesses in Porto. We doubled down on our wine selection, but financial realities began to bite back. We never wanted to get rich; we just wanted to sustain the shop to highlight those we admire. Sadly, geopolitical turmoil affected our travel business, and tourism crowds receded. We realized we needed to be sustainable as a business, too. Today we say goodbye, for now, and our good friend Mike will be leaving us. This is not for lack of our desire to have him here, but due to current sustainability constraints. He has been vital to our identity, and the business that hires him next will be incredibly lucky. What is next? The shop remains our office, and I'm stubbornly refusing to take the logo off the door. However, we will be closed most of the time (including online), though you can call to schedule a visit. We will still do private tastings through Patamar Select and hope to restart one day. Over the past 7 years, we’ve created wonderful memories and made lifelong friends. Our last official day of sales with doors wide open is July 31. On July 24, from 12-7, we'll open a few bottles with special prices to toast with anyone who stops by. We thank you for making the last 7 years amazing. We're not retiring the name just yet—just locking the doors for a while as we seek new adventures. Thank you and Saúde, Ryan, Mike, Gabriella, and the whole team P.S. Please support small businesses. Small gestures like buying coffee or picking up a bottle at a local shop help our communities survive. Continente won't miss your money; our neighborhoods need us to invest together.