Dow's Port

The roots of Dow's standing as a great Port house reach back over 200 years. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Dow's Vintage Ports have been landmark wines in virtually every great year, consistently setting the standard amongst all Port houses. Vintage Ports such as the remarkable Dow 1896, the 1927, 1945, 1955, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1980 and the Dow 1994 are all legends in the history of this great wine. These Ports are still magnificent today, even when 50 or over 100 years old. Few wines can claim this quality and this pedigree.

Throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st, the Symington family has been the guardian of Dow's, building on the legacy of preceding Silva and Dow families. Generations of Symington winemakers have worked with the Dow vineyards; Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira. Each property contributes to Dow's particular quality and style; superbly concentrated wines that are scented with violet and mint aromas, intense and tannic when young, maturing towards a superlative elegance with age. Dow's attractive and distinctive drier finish is the recognisable hallmark of the wines from this great Port house.

Founded in 1798 over two centuries ago, Dow's was the first British Port producer to invest extensively in premium vineyards, acquiring Senhora da Ribeira in 1890 and Bomfim in 1896.

These superb vineyards are fundamental to the outstanding reputation that Dow's has long enjoyed. In 1912, Andrew James Symington became a partner in Dow's, and today five members of the family own and work in the company; Paul, Johnny, Dominic, Rupert and Charles. The family personally manages all aspects of winemaking from vineyard to the final bottling of the wine.

The Symingtons can trace their ancestors as Port producers back four generations to Andrew James Symington who came to Oporto in 1882, but back thirteen generations through their great grandmother, Beatrice Atkinson, to Walter Maynard who shipped 39 pipes of Port in 1652. A unique record in the history of Port.