Graham's Vintage Port

Graham's traces its origins to 1820, when William and John Graham, originally trading in textiles, accepted 27 barrels of port in payment of an outstanding debt and decided to devote their energy to producing the best port wines from the Douro Valley. In 1890 the house acquired Quinta dos Malvedos, and Graham's describes itself as one of the first port brands to buy land in the Upper Douro Valley. The same year, the Graham's Lodge was built in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river from Porto. In 1882 Andrew James Symington sailed from Scotland to Porto to work for the Graham family, beginning the long association between the families. His grandchildren, the third generation of the Symington family, acquired Graham's in 1970, and the new chapter was marked with the production of the 1970 Vintage Port. Graham's states that it and the Symington family's other port houses, Cockburn's, Dow's and Warre's, remain the only British port companies independently owned by a single family. In 2020 Graham's celebrated its bicentenary and released a Bicentenary Collection to mark the occasion.

• 1820: founded by brothers William and John Graham
• 1890: Quinta dos Malvedos acquired and the Graham's Lodge built in Vila Nova de Gaia
• 1970: acquired by the grandchildren of Andrew James Symington, marked by the 1970 Vintage Port
• 2020: bicentenary, marked by the release of the Bicentenary Collection

Graham's Vintage Port is drawn from the finest parcels across Graham's four estates. Quinta dos Malvedos has been the principal estate since 1890; it is located between the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior, and Graham's says it enjoys the best of both regions. Quinta do Tua, acquired in 2006 and located close to Malvedos, is known for dry-stone terraces dating back to the late 18th century, home to mixed variety plantings that are over half a century old. Tua was previously owned by Cockburn's, where it was the centre of pioneering viticultural work instrumental in the recovery of the Touriga Nacional grape variety. Quinta da Vila Velha sits on the south bank of the Douro River and borders it for almost three kilometres. Quinta do Vale de Malhadas, in the remote Douro Superior, originally dates back to the end of the 19th century and was acquired in 1999. A Graham's Vintage Port blend typically also comprises Vale de Malhadas, although the 2020 used fruit only from the three Cima Corgo quintas.

• Quinta dos Malvedos: principal estate since 1890, located between the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior
• Quinta do Tua: acquired in 2006; late-18th-century dry-stone terraces with mixed plantings over half a century old
• Quinta da Vila Velha: on the south bank of the Douro, bordering the river for almost three kilometres
• Quinta do Vale de Malhadas: in the remote Douro Superior, acquired in 1999

For the 2016, the Valdossa vineyard, high above the Malvedos estate house, produced grapes from its 30-year-old Touriga Nacional, and the Altos de Malvedos, the highest planted vineyard at the quinta at 400 metres, contributed Sousão. At Tua, the old mixed vines of the Muros vineyard, planted over half a century ago on drystone walled terraces, yielded 230 grams per vine. The Vinha da Barca at Vila Velha contributed Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, which were co-fermented, and the barely half a hectare Vinha dos Eucaliptos at Vale de Malhadas provided Touriga Franca. The 2016 bottling consisted of 6,325 cases, including 600 magnums and 352 Tappit Hens, bottled during May 2018 with no filtration. The 2020 blend was 55% Quinta dos Malvedos, 25% Quinta da Vila Velha and 20% Quinta do Tua; by variety it was 40% Touriga Franca, 25% Touriga Nacional, 22% Sousão, 7% old mixed vines (field blend) and 6% Alicante Bouschet. The 2020 was the first time Sousão made up one-fifth of a Graham's Vintage Port blend.

• 2016: 6,325 cases including 600 magnums and 352 Tappit Hens; winemakers Charles Symington and Henry Shotton
• 2020: 55% Quinta dos Malvedos, 25% Quinta da Vila Velha, 20% Quinta do Tua
• 2020 was the first Graham's Vintage Port blend in which Sousão made up one-fifth

Each year the finest Graham's ports are made in the specialist winery at Quinta dos Malvedos, a boutique winery originally built in 1890 and exclusively dedicated to producing Graham's ports. It has three modern treading lagares, installed in 2000 and designed to replicate the heat and gentle treading action of human feet. During the harvest, arriving grapes are sorted by hand before being gently de-stemmed and transferred to one of the lagares. Once fermentation has taken place and the wines have been fortified, they are housed in tonéis (large barrels) in the lodge below over the winter, before being taken to the Graham's Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia. All Graham's wines are aged there because it benefits from a cooler maritime climate. Vintage Ports spend only about 18 months in wooden vats; once bottled they have no further contact with air, so their colour, structure, complexity and character change slowly with time. Blending is led by Master Blender Charles Symington, who personally tastes and evaluates the wines ageing in the lodge; there is no scientific analysis for this work. Graham's is also one of the few remaining port houses to employ its own team of coopers.

• Three modern treading lagares at the Malvedos winery, installed in 2000
• Grapes sorted by hand and gently de-stemmed before treading
• About 18 months in wooden vats, then no further contact with air once bottled
• Recent vintages bottled with no filtration: May 2018 for the 2016 and May 2022 for the 2020

Graham's Vintage Port is only produced in exceptional years. Port houses typically only produce Vintage Port two or three times a decade, and samples are submitted to the Institute of Douro and Porto Wine to be tested and tasted for the Vintage Port rating. Vintages of the wine include 1963, 1970, 1977, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2024. 1970 was a generally declared vintage. 2011 was the first generalized declaration for Vintage Port since 2007, with Symington Family Estates releasing classic vintages of all its main brands, including Graham. Winemaker Charles Symington described the 2011 Vintage Ports to Wine Spectator as "characterized by an unusual combination of elegance with power and structure." 2016 and 2017 followed as back-to-back general declarations. The advanced 2017 growing season resulted in Graham's earliest ever recorded harvest start date, and 2020 yields were the lowest of the 21st century so far. The 2020, marking the bicentenary, is drawn from high altitude and north-west facing vines. Graham's says the 2024 combines its signature opulent style with the elegance and finesse of that year.

• 1970: a generally declared vintage; its production marked the Symington acquisition
• 2011: the first generalized Port declaration since 2007
• 2016 and 2017: back-to-back general declarations
• 2020: bicentenary bottling of 3,000 bottles from high altitude, north-west facing vines

Graham's also makes Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port, which it describes as the ultimate expression of terroir in the Douro, produced from its principal estate. For 2018, a year whose declaration was not a general one, Graham's was to release a Quinta dos Malvedos bottling. In October 2014 Graham's offered a Vintage Port Bond: if no declaration were made for the year, Graham's would substitute double the quantity of vintage Port from its Quinta dos Malvedos estate. The Stone Terraces Vintage Port was released for the first time with the 2011 declaration, made from two tiny fractions of the 18th century terraced vineyards of Quinta dos Malvedos, with just 250 cases. Its vintages are 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2024, and the 2024 is only the sixth ever produced. In 2020 the entire production from the stone terraces went into the Graham's 2020 Bicentenary Vintage Port.

• Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port: produced from Graham's principal estate
• The Stone Terraces: first released with the 2011 declaration, 250 cases
• The Stone Terraces 2024 is only the sixth ever produced
• Quinta do Tua Vintage Port also sits in Graham's Vintage Port range

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.grahams-port.com/, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/graham-s-vintage-port/24, https://www.grahams-port.com/our-story, https://www.grahams-port.com/heritage, https://www.grahams-port.com/vineyards, https://www.grahams-port.com/winemaking, https://www.grahams-port.com/1890-lodge, https://www.grahams-port.com/wines, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/quinta-dos-malvedos-vintage-port/22, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/the-stone-terraces-vintage-port/42, https://www.grahams-port.com/visit-us, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/graham-s-vintage-port/24?year=1963, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/graham-s-vintage-port/24?year=1970, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/graham-s-vintage-port/24?year=1977, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/graham-s-vintage-port/24?year=2011, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/graham-s-vintage-port/24?year=2016, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/graham-s-vintage-port/24?year=2017, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/graham-s-vintage-port/24?year=2020, https://www.grahams-port.com/files/year/40_2016_file.pdf, https://www.grahams-port.com/files/year/63_2020_file.pdf. Secondary sources: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/a-rare-trifecta-for-vintage-port, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/major-port-houses-declare-2011-vintage-48345, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2014/10/grahams-tackles-vintage-port-conundrum/. Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.