Burmester

A small house who until recently purchased all of it's grapes from independant growers. In 1991 however Burmester purchased approximately 100 acres of vines at Nova de Nossa which now provides upto 30% of their grape requirements.

Although Burmester produce a full range of Port Types, their main focus is in Aged Tawnies.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, 1920, 1922, 1927, 1931, 1935, 1937, 1940, 1943, 1948, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1970, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1985

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Calem

Calem are one of the Portuguese producers. They own around eight farms in total providing 10% of their wine.

Most of the wines are produced for early drinking.

Vintages Declared :1935,1947,1948,1955,1960,1963,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983,1985, 1987

Colheita's :1948, 1950, 1953, 1957,1960, 1962

Quinta da Foz :1980,1982, 1984, 1987

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Churchill

Churchill's are a newcomer to the Port trade, having only being established in 1981 by John Graham following his departure from Cockburn's.

Although a new producer the wines are highly regarded, especially the 1985 Full Vintage.

Vintages Declared :1982,1983,1985, 1986

Quinta da Agua ALta : 1987

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Cockburn

Cockburns produces exceptionally large amounts of medium quality Port, with the occasional top quality Full Vintage and Single Quinta wines. As a result of the large volumes produced they are perhaps the market leader in the United Kingdom.

Quinta dos Canais, their Single Quinta wine, is however worth looking for.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908,1912,1927,1935,1947, 1950,1955,1960,1963, 1967,1970,1975, 1978,1982,1983,1985, 1987

Quinta da Eira Velha : 1972, 1978,1980,1982,1985, 1987

Website : WWW.ALLIEDDOMECQPLC.COM/BRANDS/SPIRITS/COCKBURNS

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Croft

Croft is one of the oldest houses in the trade, and has since developed markets throughout the world, especially Europe and the United States.

Croft produces a considerable quantity of Port achieving reliable and consistent wines designed for early drinking. Quinta do Roeda, their own vineyard produces a good single quinta wine.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908,1912, 1917,1920, 1922,1924,1927,1935, 1942,1945, 1950,1955,1960,1963,1966,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983,1985, 1987,1991

Quinta da Roeda : 1978,1980,1983, 1987

Website : WWW.CROFT.COM

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Delaforce

Founded by George Delaforce in 1868 the house has since undergone many take-overs and is currently part of IDV.

All of the wines are bought in, though a Single Quinta wine is sometimes made exclusively from wines from, and marketed under the name of, Qunita da Corte. And along with earlier (pre-1975) Full Vintages the Quinta da Corte wines offer excellent value for money.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908,1912, 1917, 1919,1920,1927,1935,1945,1947, 1950,1955, 1958,1960,1963,1966,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983, 1984,1985, 1987

Quinta da Corte : 1978,1980, 1984, 1987

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Dow

The name Dow's came in to existence in 1877 when James Dow became a partner in the company.

Offering a full range of wines, all of which are at least good and often excellent. The 'jewel in the crown' is the Quinta do Bomfim vineyard which was purchased in 1890.

Dow's wines are made in a drier style which is not to everyone's taste, but have magnificent ageing potential (and they do need to be aged in order to appreciate their real potential).

General opinion agrees that Dow's wines are classics of the Port industry.

Dow's produce a number of instantly recognisable and notable Ports :
Midnight is a dark rich and full bodied Port blended from a selection of very fine wines drawn from Dow's own Upper Douro vineyards.
Trademark is blended to give a full bodied classic Port in the traditional style. Trademark has a slightly drier finish which is the hallmark of Dow's Ports.

Wines worth looking out for are, in addition to the obvious Full Vintages, 10 or 20 year old Tawnies, and Quinta do Bomfim, (though any Dow's wine is a pleasure to drink).

Vintages Declared :1945,1947, 1950,1955,1960,1963,1966,1970, 1972,1975,1980,1983, 1984,1985, 1986, 1987

Website : WWW.DOWS-PORT.COM ,orWebsite : WWW.SYMINGTON.COM/DOW"

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Ferreira

Ferreira, although not necessarily widely know in the UK, are one of the top Port houses with substantial vineyard holdings.

Well made, early maturing Vintages, the 10 year old 'Quinta do Porto' Tawny, and the20 year old 'Duque de Braganca' Tawny are certainly worth searching for.

And perhaps less well known is that Ferreira produce some of the top (non-fortified) table wines as well.

Vintages Declared :1945,1955,1960, 1965,1966,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983,1985, 1987

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Fonseca

Despite being a Portuguese house, Fonseca produce wines in a definetly 'English' style, being huge well structured Ports.

Grapes from their 3 'A' class vineyards, (Quinta do Panascal, Quinta Santo Antonio, and Quinta Cruzeiro) are still trodden by foot at Cruzeiro.

The 1966, 1970 and 1977 vintages are outstanding, and must surely be part of any serious port cellar.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908,1912,1920, 1922,1927,1934,1975,1977

Website : WWW.FONESCA.PT

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Gould Campbell

Established in 1797 Gould Campbell are now owned by the ubiquotous Symington Group, and are overshadowed by the other 'bigger' names in the group. This is good news for Port drinkers because it means that Gould Campbell does not attract the premium prices of the others, and are therefore excellent value for money.

The 1983, 1985 and 1991 Full Vintages are big concentrated mouthfulls of plum fruit with great ageing potential.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908,1912,1920, 1922,1924,1934, 1942,1955,1960,1963,1966,1975,1977

Website : WWW.SYMINGTON.COM/SMITH/GC.HTM

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Graham's

An usual story - Graham's originally was a Scottish textile trading business, which came into the wine trade by trading some bad debts for pipes of port.

Graham's produces rich and sweet wines with good length of finish.

The Single Quinta wine, Malvedos which is still trodden by foot, is produced in lesser years and is unsurprisingly a big seller.

For everyday drinking I regularly enjoy, and would recommend to others, Graham's Six Grapes premium Ruby.

Vintages Declared : 1901, 1904,1908,1912, 1917,1920,1924,1927,1935, 1942,1945,1948,1955,1960,1963,1966,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983, 1984,1985, 1986, 1987

Website : WWW.SYMINGTON.COM/GRAHAM

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Kopke

Kopke is the oldest Port house still in existance. Not widely distributed outside Europe (and not even readily available in Europe) the wines receive high praise in competition and are as such a true connoisseurs Port.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908,1912, 1917, 1919,1920, 1922, 1926,1927,1935,1945,1948, 1950, 1952,1955, 1958,1960,1963, 1965,1966,1970,1977, 1978,1982,1983,1985, 1987

Colheita's : Every year since 1900

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Martinez

Martinez produce a limited range of good quality wines of a sweeter and nuttier style. The Tawnies and recent Full Vintage declarations are worth cellaring.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908, 1911,1912, 1919, 1922,1927,1931,1934,1945,1955, 1958,1960,1963, 1967,1970,1975,1982,1983,1985, 1987

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Niepoort

A Port house established in the mid-1800's, the existing philosophy combines organic farming with traditional treading by foot to produce subtle but well balanced wines, notably aged Tawnies, LBV's and Colheita's.

A speciality of Niepoort is a rare style, called Garrafeira, which requires the wine to be developed in casks, then glass gallon 'demi-johns', and finally being aged in bottle, which imparts some of the style of a Tawny but perhaps more akin to a lighter Vintage offering.

Vintages Declared :1927, 1942,1945,1955,1960,1963,1966,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983, 1984,1985, 1987

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Quinta do Noval

Noval is truelly a legendary house.

Noval have always been leading edge producers and have been responsible for many developments over the centuries, including terracing; the maturing of the wines at the estate rather than at Vila Nova; and even experimenting with mechanical treaders.

The Noval wines fall into three categories :
- plain 'Noval' which is made from a mixture of estate grapes and bought in grapes,
- 'Quinta do Noval' which is made exclusively from Noval's own estate grapes, and
- Quinta do Noval 'Nacional' made from rare, ungrafted vines which are grown in the oldest parts of the vineyard.

'Ordinary' Quinta do Noval is exceptionally good and commands very high prices, but the 'Nacional' which is ruthlessly sought out by, and highly revered by the true Port cognoscenti, commands statospheric prices. (As the Rolls Royce saleman said to the buyer : 'If you need to ask the price you cannot afford it sir !').

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908,1912, 1917, 1919,1920, 1923,1927,1931,1934, 1941, 1942,1945,1947, 1950,1955, 1958,1960,1963,1966,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983,1985, 1987

Website : WWW.QUINTADONOVAL.COM

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Offley

Best known for their 'Boa Vista' Vintage and LBV offerings, the company also makes good quality Tawnies, the finest of which carry the 'Baron de Forrester' name.

Some of the Vintage declarations can be insubstantial and uninspiring, so check the Ratings guide before buying.

Vintages Declared :1963

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Quarles Harris

Quarles Harris are one of the oldest Port shippers, but as they don't own any vineyards they have to buy in all of their grapes. On the positive side though because they are not one of the major names the prices tend to be extremely good value for money.

They have declared some rather good Vintages in the past, notably 1985, 1991 and 1994.

Vintages Declared :1927,1934,1945,1947, 1950,1955, 1958,1960,1963,1966,1970,1975,1977,1980,1983,1985

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Ramos Pinto

Ramos Pinto was originally founded with the sole aim of exporting to Latin America, but has developed into one of the largest vineyard owners.

Ramos forté is their Tawnies and Premium Ruby, and although they do declare Full Vintages they do not reach the quality and impact of other houses.

The Ervamoira and Bom Retiro Tawnies are sublime and well worth buying.

Vintages Declared :1924,1927,1934,1945,1955,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983, 1984,1985

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Royal Oporto

Royal Oporto grew enormously after 1950, but in the revolution of 1974 it was nationalised and the stocks sold off. The company has since been sold back into private ownership but is still dogged by controversy.

Cheap wines that are useful for general, everyday drinking but nothing more.

Vintages Declared :1934,1945,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983,1985

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Rozes

Rozes is singularly unusual in that it is the only Port house founded by the French (which is slightly ironic in that the French are nowadays one of the biggest consumers of Port).

Although the company owns one of the oldest vineyards, Quinta do Monsul, it only contributes a very small quantity to the total output, with the majority being bought in from other top vineyards.

The wines are lighter and more elegant than the average, and well balanced.

Vintages Declared :1977, 1978,1983,1985, 1987

Website : WWW.ROZES.COM

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Sandeman

The house was founded in 1790 by a Perth (Scotland) exporter George Sandeman and quite rapidly became a major name in Port, but although the be-hatted 'Don' silhouette logo is well known the house itself producers only average wines.

The wines are youthful and early to mature, and should be drunk with gusto.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908, 1911,1912, 1917,1920,1924,1927,1934,1935, 1942,1945,1947, 1950,1955, 1958,1960,1963,1966, 1967,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1985

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Smith Woodhouse

Founded by an English MP, Christopher Smith, Smith Woodhouse was acquired early in the 20th century by Graham's, though Smith Woodhouse continues to independantly produce some excellent wines. The traditional Late Bottled Vintage wines are bottled without filtering and will mature further in bottle.

Perhaps not to everyone's liking they are, like Warre's, of the slightly drier style, and usually have great ageing potential. The Vintages are concentrated and powerful.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908,1912, 1917,1920,1924,1927,1935,1945,1947, 1950,1955,1960,1963,1966,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983,1985,1991,1992

Website : WWW.SYMINGTON.COM/SMITH

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Taylor's

Although branded "Taylor's" the company is actually Taylor, Fladgate and Yeatman.

Taylor's produce the full range of wines, which includes the excellent First Estate premium ruby, rich tawnies, excellent LBV's and excellent Full Vintages.

The hallmark of Taylor's is great depth, but with structure and really concentrated fruit flavours, which ultimately produces very long lived wines that need cellaring.

The Vintage wines are mainly based around the Vargellas vineyard, but some grapes are bought in from top quality suppliers.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904, 1906,1908,1912, 1917,1920,1924,1927,1935, 1938, 1940, 1942,1945,1948,1955,1960,1963,1966, 1967,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983, 1984,1985, 1986, 1987

Quinta da Vargellas : 1967, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978

Website : WWW.TAYLOR.PT

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Warre's

Warre's is the oldest Port house, and has been a major force in the Port trade ever since. They were instrumental in organising the British shippers, and designing and implementing the Factory House.

The main vineyard and pride of Warre's is Quinta da Cavadinha (which in translation means "well-tilled"). Bought in 1980 it produces around 10,300 cases of very high quality Port every year from it's 40 hectares.

Warre's produce some of the best wines, from ruby, to tawny, LBV and Full Vintage. Their style is usually drier than their competitors, but still has excellent flavour, depth and balance.

Perhaps Warre's is a matter of taste, some like the style, some prefer others. Either way if you have some in stock, you or your friends, will seldom be disappointed.

Vintages Declared : 1900, 1904,1908,1912, 1917,1920, 1922,1924,1927,1934,1947, 1950,1955, 1958,1960,1963,1966,1970,1975,1977, 1978,1980,1982,1983, 1984,1985, 1986, 1987

LBV's produced : 1986.

Quinta da Cavadinha : 1979, 1982, 1987.

Website : WWW.WARRE.COM, orWebsite : WWW.SYMINGTON.COM/WARRE