Graham's Port

Graham's began in 1820, when William and John Graham, then trading in textiles, accepted 27 barrels of port in payment of an outstanding debt and decided to devote their energy to producing port wines from the Douro Valley. In 1890 the house acquired Quinta dos Malvedos and built the Graham's Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river from Porto. Andrew James Symington sailed from Scotland to Porto in 1882 to work for the Graham family; after a short stint at Graham's he set up a small port shipping operation under his own name. In 1970 his grandsons, the third generation of the Symington family, acquired Graham's from the Graham family. Symington Family Estates owns and runs four port houses, Graham's, Dow's, Warre's and Cockburn's, and the family business is run by its fourth and fifth generations. Graham's celebrated its bicentenary in 2020 and released the Bicentenary Collection to mark it.

• 1820: William and John Graham accept 27 barrels of port in payment of an outstanding debt
• 1882: Andrew James Symington sails from Scotland to Porto to work for the Graham family
• 1890: Quinta dos Malvedos acquired and the Graham's Lodge built in Vila Nova de Gaia
• 1970: Andrew James Symington's grandsons acquire Graham's from the Graham family
• 2020: Graham's bicentenary, marked by the Bicentenary Collection

Charles Symington is Graham's Master Blender. He leads the team of tasters and blenders that decides how to age the wines each year, and he personally tastes and evaluates each of the wines ageing in the Graham's Lodge, deciding which wines to blend and at what age. In 2023 he was head winemaker of Symington Family Estates. The coopers who maintain each vat and cask in the lodge are led by Master Cooper Snr. Alberto. The fourth generation of the Symington family joined the business from 1979: Paul first, followed by Johnny, Dominic, Rupert and Charles. Members of the fifth generation who have joined are Harry, Charlotte, Vicky, Teresa and Anthony.

• Charles Symington: Master Blender
• Charles Symington: head winemaker of Symington Family Estates in 2023
• Master Cooper Snr. Alberto: leads the lodge's coopers
• The Symington family business is run by its fourth and fifth generations

Graham's sources its grapes from four Douro properties. Quinta dos Malvedos, its principal estate since 1890, lies between the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior and enjoys abundant sunshine and reasonable rainfall. It has 90.6 hectares of vineyard on a total area of 163.9 hectares; the vineyard is predominantly south-facing, and its principal varieties are Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, old mixed vines, Tinta Barroca, Alicante Bouschet, Tinta Roriz, Sousão and Tinta Amarela. The property took its name from the rapids in front of the house, known as 'os Malvedos', which existed before the Douro River was dammed in the early 1960s. Malvedos still contains large areas of terraces supported by dry-stone walls built by hand in the 18th century, and its Cardenhos and Port Arthur stone-terraced vineyards face north-east, east and west, unlike the other vineyards on the property. Quinta do Tua, bought in 2006, sits close to Malvedos on the opposite bank of the Tua River, where it flows into the Douro. Its house was built in 1834 by the Ferreira family; Cockburn's acquired the quinta in the late 19th century, and John Henry Smithes established a research vineyard there. Tua's dry-stone terraces date from the late 18th century and hold mixed-variety plantings over half a century old, on 21.9 hectares of vineyard. Quinta da Vila Velha borders the Douro on its south bank for nearly three kilometres, has 54.4 hectares of vineyard and is owned jointly by James and Rupert Symington, father and son. Quinta do Vale de Malhadas, in the remote Douro Superior and acquired in 1999, has 31.8 hectares of vineyard, is contiguous with Quinta do Vesúvio and is owned jointly by brothers Paul and Dominic and their cousin, Rupert.

• Quinta dos Malvedos: principal estate since 1890, 90.6 hectares of vineyard
• Quinta do Tua: bought in 2006, 21.9 hectares of vineyard
• Quinta da Vila Velha: on the Douro's south bank, 54.4 hectares of vineyard
• Quinta do Vale de Malhadas: in the Douro Superior, acquired in 1999, 31.8 hectares of vineyard

The finest Graham's ports are made each year in the specialist winery at Quinta dos Malvedos. Originally built in 1890 and dedicated exclusively to Graham's ports, the winery has three modern treading lagares, installed in 2000 and designed to replicate the heat and gentle treading action of human feet. At harvest, grapes are sorted by hand, gently de-stemmed and transferred to the lagares. After fermentation and fortification the wines go to the lodge below, where they spend the winter in tonéis (large barrels) before being taken to the Graham's Lodge in Gaia. All the wines are aged in the Graham's 1890 Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, which benefits from a cooler maritime climate. Vintage Ports spend only about 18 months in wooden vats, while tawny ports are aged in seasoned oak casks. Graham's employs its own team of coopers to maintain each vat and cask in the lodge; each cask is typically 75 to 100 years old.

• Malvedos winery: built 1890, three modern treading lagares installed in 2000
• Grapes sorted by hand and gently de-stemmed at harvest
• Vintage Ports: about 18 months in wooden vats
• Tawny ports: aged in seasoned oak casks at the 1890 Lodge
• In-house coopers maintain casks typically 75 to 100 years old

Graham's range runs from Classic ports (Fine Ruby, Fine Tawny, Fine White and Extra Dry White) through Reserve Ruby, Late Bottled Vintage, Aged Tawny and Single Harvest Tawny to Vintage Port. The Six Grapes symbol originated in the nineteenth century: after each harvest, Graham's winemakers marked each barrel with grape symbols to rate the quality of the wine from one to six, and six grapes meant Vintage Port potential. By the early 1900s Graham's started bottling wine selected from these barrels under the Six Grapes label, and Six Grapes remains the house's signature reserve port. The Late Bottled Vintage is made from vintage-quality grapes and aged in wood for several years; the 2021 was produced from grapes from all four estates. The Aged Tawny range covers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 80 Years Old, and the 20 Years Old is aged for an average of 20 years in seasoned oak casks. Graham's Vintage Port is drawn from the finest parcels across the four estates and produced only in exceptional years; the vintages the house lists run from 1955 to 2024. Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port is produced from the principal estate, and the 2022 Quinta do Tua 'Vinhas Velhas' is the first Quinta do Tua Vintage Port. The Stone Terraces Vintage Port was first made from two tiny fractions of the 18th-century terraced vineyards of Quinta dos Malvedos, with 250 cases. It is produced from two relatively shaded blocks, one east-facing and the other north-facing, planted mostly with mature Touriga Nacional and a few younger plantings including Touriga Franca, Sousão and Alicante Bouschet. The 2021 was 4,800 75cl bottles and 280 tappit hens, about 2% of that year's production at Quinta dos Malvedos, with the grapes picked at the same time and co-fermented; the 2024 is the sixth. Ne Oublie is a Single Harvest Tawny produced in 1882, the year Andrew James Symington first arrived in Portugal; 656 bottles were released after it had aged for 130 years, in a handmade crystal decanter designed by Atlantis, with three sterling silver bands by Hayward & Stott and a box handcrafted by Smythson of Bond Street. The Graham's Bicentenary Collection brought together six classic Vintage Ports and six Single Harvest Tawny Ports in a specially designed cabinet, of which only 30 were to be produced.

• Six Grapes: signature Reserve Ruby, bottled under the label since the early 1900s
• Late Bottled Vintage: vintage-quality grapes, several years in wood
• Aged Tawny: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 80 Years Old
• Vintage Port: Graham's, Quinta dos Malvedos, Quinta do Tua and The Stone Terraces
• The Stone Terraces: editions 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2024
• Ne Oublie: produced in 1882, 656 bottles released

Graham's describes its wines as combining "the best of tradition with innovation", using sustainable and minimal-intervention methods wherever possible and indigenous grape varieties. In the house's words, the 2024 Vintage Port "combines Graham's signature opulent style with the remarkable elegance and finesse that define this exceptional year." Graham's calls its Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port "Bold and powerful: a true Malvedos thoroughbred." Charles Symington said in 2023 that the hand-built stone terraces at Quinta dos Malvedos "have long been prized by my family for producing wines with an incredibly unique profile, which is entirely distinct from the rest of the estate."

• Tradition with innovation, sustainable and minimal-intervention methods, indigenous varieties, in Graham's own account
• "Signature opulent style" in the house's description of its 2024 Vintage Port
• Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port: "Bold and powerful" in the house's description

Visits to the Graham's 1890 Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia include a guided tour from one of the house's port experts and a selection of port tastings. Wine & Food visits add lunch or a tailor-made dinner at Vinum Restaurant, which adjoins the lodge with views over the Douro River. Two private Boardroom Tastings are held in the room reserved for the company's Directors, each with a private tour of the lodge. A large selection of the ports is available by the glass, and the lodge shop, open every day with no booking necessary, offers wines from Graham's and the Symington family. The lodge is reached on foot at Rua Rei Ramiro, 514, and by car at Rua do Agro, 141, in Vila Nova de Gaia.

• Guided tours with port tastings at the 1890 Lodge
• Vinum Restaurant adjoins the lodge, with views over the Douro River
• On foot: Rua Rei Ramiro, 514, Vila Nova de Gaia
• By car: Rua do Agro, 141, Vila Nova de Gaia

Primary sources (producer's own site): 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/visit-us, https://www.grahams-port.com/wines, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/graham-s-vintage-port/24, 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/wine/six-grapes/5, https://www.grahams-port.com/files/wine/5_six-grapes_file1681135314.pdf, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/late-bottled-vintage/64, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/20-years-old/11, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/ne-oublie/20, https://www.grahams-port.com/wine/quinta-do-tua-vintage-port/72. Owner group site (Symington Family Estates): https://www.symington.com/vineyard/quinta-dos-malvedos, https://www.symington.com/vineyard/quinta-do-tua, https://www.symington.com/vineyard/quinta-da-vila-velha, https://www.symington.com/vineyard/quinta-do-vale-de-malhadas, https://www.symington.com/content/family-history, https://www.symington.com/content/symington-today, https://symington.com/brand/graham-s-port. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (Luis Antunes, 24 April 2013), https://www.winespectator.com/articles/major-port-houses-declare-2011-vintage-48345; The Drinks Business (Alice Wade, 20 April 2023), https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2023/04/symington-launches-fifth-edition-of-grahams-the-stone-terraces-vintage-port/; Decanter (Richard Woodard, 18 October 2022), https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/grahams-port-launches-bicentenary-collection-489841. Last verified 2026-10-21. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.