Why You Should Be Drinking Portuguese Wines Now
On the podcast today, the Symington family has a history in Portugal as rich as their Ports. We are excited to have DOC Douro Category Manager Mariana Brito and fifth generation family member Harry Symington joining us on the pod from Portugal to share Symington’s story.
Port is a wine we think of as the perfect end to a great meal, a relaxing wine to sip and toast on an evening shared with family and friends. Port invites us to slow down, sip, and savor.
The Symington family has lived by that mantra for generations. They are one of the best known names in Port, admired worldwide for their dedication to the wine and sustainable practices. Symington Family Estates owns the Port Houses of Dow’s, Graham’s, Warre’s, Cockburn’s and Quinta do Vesuvio, and dry wine producers in Portugal’s Douro Valley, Vinho Verde and Alentejo wine regions.
The family is carefully upholding the best of Port’s long history while also stewarding the wine into the future, producing dry white, rosé and red wines. While they trace their roots in the Port trade back to 1652, today the fifth generation of Symingtons is leading the way in the family business.
You might think of Port as your father’s or grandfather’s drink. But Port is being rediscovered thanks in part to travelers choosing to go to Portugal and the historic Douro Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the world’s oldest demarcated wine region as their top destination.
Visit Symington Family Estates in Portugal:
• Douro Valley
• Porto Port Lodges
• Alentejo
Symington School of Port Courses
Wines tasted in this episode:
• Quinta da Fonte Souto 2022 Branco (white wine blend with Arinto and Verdelho), Alentejo
• Quinta da Fonte Souto 2018 Alicante Bouschet, Alentejo
• Quinta do Vesuvio 2018 DOC Douro Red (blend with Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Amarela)
• Quinta do Vesuvio 2017 Vintage Port, Douro Valley
• Cockburn’s Special Reserve Port, Douro Valley
• Dow’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port, Douro Valley
• Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port, Douro Valley