Graham's Port

Graham's is a prominent Port house in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It was begun as a textile company in the early 1800s by brothers William and John Graham in Glasgow, who received a barrel of Port as payment for a debt. The business grew from there, and today, Graham's is owned by the Symington family who own several other port houses, including Dow's and Warre's.

The house makes a range of Port styles, including the classic tawny, ruby and white expressions, as well as many declared vintages and single-quinta bottlings. The Quinta dos Malvedos vineyard provides many of the grapes for Graham's vintage ports, and is considered one of the company's finest holdings, acquired in 1890. It is planted predominantly to Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, both of which thrive in the sunny, dry terroir. The rest of the portfolio comes from several other vineyards in the Douro owned by the Symington family. The Graham's cellar is located across the river from Porto in Vila Nova de Gaia, and is home to the house's extensive collection of aging ports.

The extensive range contains a few less-traditional styles of Port. The Six Grapes, a reserve Port, is made from the same vineyards as the vintage Ports but is bottled younger to retain freshness. It was a favorite Port of Sir Winston Churchill (presumably when he was not enjoying his other great love, Pol Roger), and was served on famous ocean liner the RMS Queen Mary. Graham's also produces a Port wine made entirely from organically grown grapes, the Natura Reserva.