Vintage Port Shop Blog
Symington Family Declares 2016 Vintage Port
Posted 10 April 2018
by Dia Grigoriou
The Symington family has declared 2016 as a vintage of exceptional quality. The company behind the production of the quality port brands Graham's, Dow's, Warre's, Cockburn's and Quinta do Vesuvio has announced the declaration of all the aforementioned houses, the first to include all their port brands since the outstanding 2011 vintage.
A spokesman for the company said the 2015/ 16 winter was wetter than average, which provided a “vital counterbalance” to the hot Douro summer. It noted that some started picking during the hot September …
Vintage Port -The Chalk Mark
Posted 9 March 2018
by Dia Grigoriou
As we sell quite a lot of vintage port, one of the things we are often asked about is as to why is there a blob of white paint on the Port bottle.
Vintage Port did not legally have to be labelled for sale until it became law with the 1977 Port vintage, so there was often no label to see which way up the bottle was (the vintage and name of the Port would be on the capsule and the cork). Therefore, if the bottle was left one one side the sediment will all collect on one side. Sometimes it is a neat blob of white paint on a vintage Port bottle, other times it is a real splash – and it seems to vary from Port house to Port House and, no doubt, depends who was working in the cellar on particular day.
Visit to the refurbished Cockburns Lodge February 2018
Posted 14 February 2018
by Vintage Wine and Port
Visit by James (Sales Manager) and Tony (MD) February 2018.
The Cockburn lodge at Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto) is now open to visitors following its refurbishment in 2017. The lodge is the largest in V N d Gaia holding about 9M litres of port and boasts a working cooperage. It is open to the public but as the tours are guided a reservation is required. It is a little walk from the river front front up a cobbled street. On entry there is a small museum with lots memorabilia about the early days and the great vintages of the early 1900's. Now owned by Symmington Family Estates (also Dows, Warre and Grahams), the brand is clearly in good hands and a huge amount of investment has gone into rebuilding the reputation of this great brand both in the wine-making and in the quality of the visitor experience. Understandably, the years from the late 1960's (when the former owners neglected the upper end of the brand to focus on Special Reserve) are glossed over.
January Sale
Posted 29 December 2017
by Vintage Wine and Port
After a record-breaking Christmas we are bouncing into our best ever January sale. Over the next few weeks we need to clear the shelves to make way for new stock. There are loads of bargains.
We are also clearing out a lot of old bottles of Italian wines from very old vintages at between £10 and £40. The levels and labels are in great condition but given the great age - we cannot guarantee the contents. So if you are looking for a souvenir from you special year grab a bargain today.
New Arrival | Quevedo Ports
Posted 30 October 2017
by Vintage Wine and Port
New Arrival | Quevedo Ports
Vintage Wine and Port is delighted to offer Quevedo ports to the UK market.
Quevedo is a small family-run winery that has an enviable reputation for producing high-quality port. Founded over 100 years ago the, winery has passed from generation to generation. Recently the ownership has passed to the brother-and-sister team, Oscar and Claudia who have taken the production and marketing to a new level.