GRAHAM'S PORT - Single Harvest Tawny Port 1940
Graham's is a major Port producer from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal . It was started as a textile business 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 Porto houses including Dow's and Warre's. It was also Sir Winston Churchill's favorite Port (presumably when he wasn't drinking his other great love: Pol Roger), and was served on the famous ocean liner RMS Queen Mary.
Ports from 1940 are extremely rare. During World War II, many producers ceased marketing Port altogether while others drastically reduced their winemaking. Although 1940 delivered a smaller crop than usual, it was a year of very high quality grapes. This wine was bottled after aging in oak barrels for almost eighty years. Graham's 1940 is remarkably refined and balanced, a reflection not only of the quality of the original wine, but also of the know-how of successive generations of winegrowers from the Symington family, owners of Graham's Port. Charles Symington, Graham's Port Master Blender, selected two of the few remaining 1940 Tawny Port casks for this unique edition.
The grapes came primarily from Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos, but also from other smaller vineyards in the Rio Torto Valley where Graham's traditionally got some of the best grapes for its Ports. The main grape varieties are Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca and Sousão .
Grapes: Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Sousão
