Graham's

Established in 1820 in Portugal, W & J Graham’s is an independent family-owned wine estate, specialising in making world-class wines, making Port wines popular worldwide. In 1890, Graham’s became one of the first companies in Portugal to make wines from their own vineyards in the premium Douro Valley. 

In 1970, the Symington family acquired Graham’s wine label. Under the new ownership, the company produced the 1970 Vintage Port, which is considered as one of the best wines of the century, to date. Currently, Graham’s is the only British Port company that is run independently under one family's control. Therefore, the winemaking techniques and viticultural practices followed here are unique.

Graham’s wines are produced in the five mountain vineyards located in the Upper Douro region in Portugal. In 1756, this region was declared as the first demarcated wine area. An interesting feature of this vineyard is this – it is the only region in the world, which produces authentic Port wines.

One of the unique winemaking techniques followed here is the addition of the grape spirit during the fermentation of the grapes to add to the sweetness and longevity of the wines. During the 17th century, a couple of wine merchants noticed that the people in the Lamego monastery in the Douro Valley added grape spirit in the initial stages of fermentation to make the wines sweet and authentic. This fortification method is still followed here, when wines are exported to other countries like England from Oporto.

Graham’s winemaking team still adds the grape spirit known as aguardente (commonly known as brandy) is added to disrupt the fermentation of grape juice. This helps to retain the natural sweetness of the grapes, and gives Port wines its authentic taste. You won’t normally see this process in the wines from other countries. 

Buy Graham's wine below.