Wine Critics Praise the 2011 Vintage Ports

The recently announced 2011 Vintage Port declaration has met with considerable interest in Portugal and overseas. At Graham’s, we are very proud of our wines and it is very encouraging to register the excitement the 2011 Vintage is generating. This week, Jancis Robinson MW , one of the world’s leading wine critics wrote, “…anyone with an interest in superbly made top-quality red wine worth ageing for decades should arguably turn their backs on Bordeaux 2012 and look instead at Port 2011…There is little doubt that 2011 produced some stunning vintage ports, into which more effort and skill has gone than any other previous vintage in the Douro. And I find it impossible to think of any other wine region, anywhere in the world, that produced better wines.” In her assessment of 31 different Vintage Ports, Graham’s The Stone Terraces 2011 Vintage Port and Graham’s 2011 Vintage Port were among the highest ranked, deserving exceptionally high marks: 18.5/20 and 19/20, respectively.

In similar vein, Manuel Carvalho, writing in Portugal’s respected ‘Público’ newspaper on April 27^th, described Graham’s The Stone Terraces 2011 as a “masterpiece”, going on to write: “For its exuberant aromas of fruit, mint and Douro shrubs, for its suggestions of black tea, for its intriguing spice notes, such is its complexity and richness. For its volume on the palate, the power of its tannins, which announce decades of longevity whilst at the same time combining with the acidity and fruit to render it immediately approachable.” His wine critic colleague — Pedro Garcias — was so impressed with the Graham’s 2011 Vintage Port that he summed up as follows, “One simple adjective suffices to describe this Port: superb”. Furthermore he predicted that the 2011 Vintage has what it takes to aspire to a legendary status in the history of Port.

The second 2011 Vintage Port tasting at the Graham’s Lodge attracted 15 journalists, wine writers and critics.

2011 Vintage Port tasting, Graham’s Lodge, April 30^th: The first showing of the 2011 Vintage Ports produced by the Symington family was on April 18^th (scroll down to see previous post) in which Portuguese journalists were hosted by Paul and Charles Symington. The family decided to organize a second tasting, earlier this week in response to the enormous interest shown in Portugal following the declaration, barely two weeks ago. We will spare our followers repetition, but it is worth reproducing here some interesting, complementary aspects — recounted by Paul and Charles in both tastings — that weren’t touched on in the previous post.

Paul and Charles guide the 2011 Vintage Ports tasting

• Paul Symington emphasized the importance that Vintage Port declarations play as personal and career-defining moments, just as they were for previous generations who are remembered very much for the Vintages that they made ‘on their watch’. Paul has been involved in 9 Vintage declarations and Charles in 5 declarations, thus far.

• All the 2011 Vintage Ports made by the Symington family were 100% from their own vineyards, a natural development given their sustained investment in vineyards since the late 1970s (vineyard acquisitions and vineyard replanting). With a total of 965 hectares (2,385 acres) of vineyards, dotted across the finest sub-regions of the Douro Valley and representing an incredible diversity of terroirs, the family has remarkable scope in selecting wines for their Vintage Ports.

• For the first time in half a century (specifically since the 1963 vintage in the Douro) the Vintage Ports in 2011 were 100% vinified in lagares (shallow treading tanks) and this shows through in the superb quality displayed by all the 2011 wines.

• A point not often explained but one that has a great bearing on the family’s capacity to consistently produce outstanding Vintage Ports is the tremendous benefit of owning and operating several small micro-wineries (referred to by some as ‘boutique’ wineries) with independent winemaking teams (coordinated by Charles Symington) whose sole objective is the production of the best possible Port. There is no loss of focus in the pursuit of this goal because they are not distracted by the requirement to make styles of Port other than those with the potential to be graded as Vintage Port.

• Leading on from the above, Charles was also keen to stress the significance of the substantial investment made over the last 10 to 15 years in numerous small storage tanks at these specialist wineries. This allows each fermentation to be kept separate until such time as the winemakers and tasters decide how to best use them. Paul reinforced that the possibility of keeping such ‘diamonds in the rough’ separately is a key contributor in the making of exceptional Ports.

• During this second tasting session, Charles and Paul made a bit of a joke about the distinction made between old vines and the others — when describing the provenance of grapes that contribute to Vintage Port blends. The fact is that when we refer to old vines, we really should say very old mixed vines (50 years+) because ‘the others’ are 25 to 30 years old and thus, by any standard, are themselves old, mature vines (planted in single varietal parcels during the early 1980s).

The lineup of 2011 Vintage Ports made by the Symington family

Following this second tasting which involved 13 different wines (the 5 components of the Graham’s 2011 Vintage + 8 Vintage Ports; two Graham wines; two Vesuvio wines and one each from Cockburn’s, Dow’s, Warre’s and Quinta de Roriz), the 15 guest tasters were invited to lunch at the new Vinum restaurant at Graham’s where the highlight was a lovely Graham’s 1963 Vintage Port, celebrating its 50^th birthday this year.

Participants in the tasting enjoy an appetizer in the wine bar before lunch at the adjoining Vinum restaurant

Graham’s Declares the 2011 Vintage Port

Portugal was the first country in which the recently declared 2011 Vintage Ports were shown. The UK, USA and others will follow in the coming weeks.

This has been an eventful week for Graham’s. On Monday, April 15^th, Graham’s declared the 2011 Vintage Port. A few days later on Thursday the 18^th, Charles and Paul Symington hosted a tasting of the family’s 2011 Vintage Ports at the recently renovated Graham’s 1890 Lodge. Their guests were Portuguese wine journalists and this event marked the first time that a declared Vintage Port was first shown in Portugal, before any other country. Some of the country’s leading wine critics came to this tasting, keen to gain their first impressions of the wines that have been generating considerable interest. Judging by the very positive comments it is clear that our guests agree with us that the 2011 is an outstanding Vintage.

Many of Portugal’s most influential wine writers gathered at the Graham’s Lodge to gain their first impressions of the 2011 Vintage Ports.

The event started with an opportunity to taste the component wines that comprise the Graham’s 2011 Vintage Port. This wine is a careful selection of the finest wines produced at Graham’s five Douro Quintas. This proved an interesting experience in helping the tasters to understand what makes a classic Graham’s Vintage Port. Charles started with the Quintas whose aromatic contributions are more evident: Lages, Vila Velha and Malvedos. Lages wines have long been favoured for their elegant complexity, showing fine violet aromas, characteristics no doubt influenced by the property’s (cooler) north and east-facing aspects in the Rio Torto. Similarly, Vila Velha, with a predominantly west-facing aspect, has a relatively cool maturation cycle, which allowed its late-ripening Touriga Franca grapes to excel and deliver superb aromas of rockrose and violets in 2011. Malvedos, the cornerstone of Graham’s Vintage Port since 1890, provides floral characteristics of eucalyptus and mint with soft violet overtones as well as rich flavours of cassis, mulberry and blackberries. Quinta do Tua and Quinta do Vale de Malhadas were the last two component wines tasted and they each showed the muscularity for which they are known, in the form of tremendous concentration and weighty tannins which add great structure and staying power to the final wine.

Paul shares some anecdotes with his guests

The line up of five component wines which comprise Graham’s 2011 Vintage Port

Leading on from the fascinating terroir tasting of the component wines, it was time to sample the Graham’s 2011 Vintage Port, whose final blend is made up as follows: 35% Malvedos; 19% Vale Malhadas ; 18% Vila Velha; 16% Tua; 12% Lages. Both Charles and Paul explained the sequence of events that laid the foundations for this Vintage year: Abundant 2010/2011 winter rains, which replenished the water reserves deep in the Douro subsoil and compensated for an otherwise very dry year; a very dry June and July, followed by an ideal weather pattern immediately leading up to and during the vintage (opportune rain showers in late August/early September, followed by weeks of dry, sunny conditions); perfectly ripened grapes with copybook balance of baumés (sugar content), phenolics (pigments, tannins) and acidity (freshness and longevity).

The tasters put the component wines from Graham’s five Quintas (vineyards) through their paces

A very interesting characteristic is apparent in the Graham’s 2011 Vintage Port, as well as in the other Symington family’s 2011 Vintage Port houses, namely a marked schistous minerality which lends the 2011 wines a very distinctive profile. They have an exceptional depth of colour and concentration, superb aromatic elegance and well-structured schist-edged tannins. Paul described this schist character as akin to the smell of the parched, powdery Douro schist soil just after rain when it exudes a wonderful, fragrant wet-earth scent. Charles explained that this very attractive aromatic character also owes much to the exceptional performance of the Touriga Franca varietal in this vintage. He explained that as a late-ripening variety, the Touriga Franca thrived in the idyllic conditions leading up to and during the vintage (it was the last variety to be picked in October). In other words, the weeks of uninterrupted dry sunny conditions, which followed the well-timed rain of August 21^st and 1^st/2^nd of September allowed the Touriga Franca to ripen evenly and completely, delivering its full quality potential. Charles is a great believer in the Touriga Franca and explained that this variety is often unjustly overshadowed by the Touriga Nacional. It can be a tricky varietal to grow in less favourable weather, but when conditions are right, it has a great deal to offer, particularly in aromatic finesse. Accordingly there was a higher inclusion of Touriga Franca — 31%, compared to 25% in the previous declared Vintage, the 2007.

Of the total production from Graham’s five Quintas (88,855 cases), and following months of exhaustive tastings, Charles and his cousins selected just 9% — or 8,000 cases — to release as Graham’s 2011 Vintage Port.

Paul and Charles then revealed that together with their cousins, they had decided to offer for the first time, alongside Graham’s classic Vintage Port, a very small bottling (250 cases, or 3,000 bottles) of Vintage Port drawn from two very special parcels of traditional stone-terraced vineyards at Quinta dos Malvedos. Accordingly, they named the wine, Graham’s ‘The Stone Terraces’ Vintage Port. These two 18^th century terraced vineyards have consistently produced extraordinary Ports. One of the two vineyard parcels was originally called Port Arthur and has eleven schist stone terraces, ten of which have only a single row of vines on each. The other vineyard is known as Vinha dos Cardenhos and between them, the two parcels amount to a tiny fraction (1.8 hectares) of the Malvedos vineyard (89 hectares). The latter has a predominantly South-facing aspect, whereas the Port Arthur and Vinha dos Cardenhos vineyards are East-facing and North-facing. These cooler aspects mean the grapes mature very gradually and evenly and being shielded from the powerful July and August Douro afternoon sun, their unique aromatic properties come more readily to the fore. This is a very individual and distinct Vintage Port of extraordinary intensity and quality.

The north-facing Vinha dos Cardenhos vineyard parcel, behind the house of Graham’s historic Quinta dos Malvedos

Paul Symington’s tasting note for the 2011 Graham’s The Stone terraces Vintage Port: This wine is very individual; it has highly specific characteristics with a very intense tannic structure and a colour of purple-black intensity. The easterly and northerly aspect of these two small vineyards results in fresh scented aromas of violets and mint. There is a complex palate of weighty and spicy tannins combined with blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. This is an extraordinary wine of great power and elegance; it is a new departure for Graham’s and the Symington family.

The Cardenhos and Port Arthur vineyards, shown here in a 1925 survey of Quinta dos Malvedos. The original survey chart is exhibited at Graham’s Museum in the 1890 Lodge

Following this tasting session, which included a further six 2011 Vintage Ports from Graham’s sister companies (Cockburn’s, Dow’s, Warre’s, Quinta do Vesuvio and Quinta de Roriz), the tasters were invited to lunch at the recently opened Vinum restaurant, contained within the Graham’s Port lodge. The food was served with various Symington Douro wines, including the Chryseia 2004 Douro DOC (made jointly by the Symington family and Bruno Prats) and — to end the meal on a particularly high note — Graham’s 1963 Vintage Port (served from two magnum bottles). The Vintage Port was simply sublime, 50 years old and still so vital and complete. Curiously some commented that this Port too showed the ‘schistous’ aromatic notes that Paul had earlier associated with the 2011 wines. There were also wonderful aromas of tea-leaf and mint, bergamot and cinnamon and a seductive palate, complex and very, very refined. An absolute delight. We believe that in 2061, when the 2011s reach fifty, they too will offer up a similarly extraordinary experience.

What better way to end a fabulous meal than with two magnums of Graham’s superb 1963…

The tasting was followed by a delicious meal served at Graham’s VINUM restaurant

Tracking the Season – 19 April

Vertically planted vineyards at the western end of Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos show thriving vivid green cover crops

At Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos and Quinta do Tua the viticultural season is well underway and we are busy in the vineyards with a wide range of tasks, whilst the vines are growing well.

From the week before Easter through 11 April we had rain most days, which has been very welcome.  Alexandre Mariz, our viticulturist, is finally expressing cautious optimism that we may have had enough rain to see us through a typically hot, dry July and August.  After two and a half years of drought, the reserves deep in the soil had a lot of catching up to do.  There is no further rain in the immediate forecast.

The grape clusters are already formed, awaiting flowering and fertilisation sometime in May

Since the 11^th it has been clear and warm – low 20ºs C – which is a bit cool for the time of year, but welcome.  Alexandre says the recent moderate temperatures have been good for two reason:  first, the moisture in the soil has a better chance of sinking in rather than simply evaporating in the heat, and second, it means the development of the vines since budburst has been steady, not wildly exuberant as it can be with a sudden hot sunny spell.  The result is that the vines are looking very healthy and already showing the nascent clusters of grapes-to-be.  Although we still need to get through the flowering and fertilisation period in May to know what kind of crop to expect, right now the signs are promising.

Malvedos Touriga Nacional 19 April 13:54

We have begun the despampa, a process of removing excess shoots from each and every vine by hand to leave two shoots from each bud.  Removal of excess vines and the odd shoots that sometimes spurt from the trunk or even from the Americano rootstock ensures good air circulation which is important to minimise the chance of fungal diseases.  Limiting the number of shoots also concentrates the vigor of the vine into those remaining, so we will have greater concentration of flavour and sugar in the grape clusters that ultimately do form.

The Touriga Franca planted a month ago is thriving

The Touriga Franca vines that were being planted in the newly-re-landscaped parcel west of the caseiro’s house during our last visit to Malvedos are settling in and starting to sprout well.  In the other parcel which we are renovating near the top of the quinta, the surriba – landscaping works – are nearly done, with just a few more days of work to go.  Alexandre was hoping to start the planting sometime this week, with the five hectares divided between the Touriga Nacional and Sousão varieties.

As part of the work of re-landscaping our vineyards, we plan for drainage systems to handle the often heavy rainfalls in the winter.  We need to strike a balance between holding the rain on the terraces so it will sink into the hillside, and managing the safe run-off of excess water in a heavy rainstorm, without eroding the soil-banked terraces.  For this reason every line of terrace is subtly canted into the hillside, so water will gather at the back and sink in, but they are also arced so excess water can run down to one end and enter a system of drains which run alongside the access roads.

Massive schist slabs unearthed during the lanscaping works at Malvedos

The confluence of the Tua and Douro rivers shows clearly the silt-laden golden water of the Douro

In addition we incorporate drains into the hillside to capture some of that flow and direct it safely into the river.  The pipeline is buried under the terraces and will end in a stone covered cascade further down the hillside, in a place which is a natural run-off.  As we have re-built the patamares massive slabs of unearthed schist have been set aside, and ultimately will be used to build that cascade and mask the end of the pipe.

And speaking of run off, the Douro is showing the golden-bronze colour for which it is named, a reflection – quite literally – of light off the silt from the schistous soil which has run off into the river during the recent rains.  Paul Symington was recently telling visitors it has been some years since he last saw the river this colour.  The river is high and running quite fast, with white water wakes streaming from the buoys that mark the safe channel.

So far, so good!

Tracking the Season – 21 March

Quinta dos Malvedos Touriga Nacional 21 March 2013 15:58

We visited Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos again just as winter officially turned to spring with the passing of the equinox.  It was a brilliantly sunny day, and a good one for getting lots of work done in the vineyards.  Things are picking up pace now as the growing season gets underway.

Alexandre Mariz, viticulturist responsible for Malvedos and the nearby Quinta do Tua, confirmed that we continued to have rain in the Douro throughout February and so far in March, mostly intermittent showers which have allowed the rain to penetrate the soil and sink in, rather than running off in torrents as can happen with too-heavy rainfall.  So far, so good.  But after two very dry years we still need more to replenish the deep-soil water reserves – Alexandre cannot help but notice as the landscaping works go on that the soil just a metre and a half or two metres down is still bone dry.  After several dry sunny days, the outlook beginning Friday 22^nd was for a week of rain.  Right now it’s a bit of a balancing act – we want the rain, but we have a lot of work to complete in the vineyards.

The landscaping of the upper plantation at Quinta dos Malveods is nearly done

The landscaping of the 5 hectares at the high northwestern corner of Malvedos is nearly done, we expect it will be completed before the Easter holidays, weather permitting.  Meanwhile, in the parcel lower down, nearer the river and west of the caseiro’s house, we have begun planting the Touriga Franca.

Planting is – or can be – one of the most labour intensive and time consuming tasks in the vineyard.  This parcel alone is 4 hectares and will be planted with 12,000 vines.  Typically we would require 8 people who can plant about 1,000 vines per day.

The vineyard planting trailer designed by Symington

A furrow is opened for a man to plant a vine, and is then gently closed around the vine

With the same combination of imagination and engineering skills as resulted in Symington’s modern lagares, our viticultural team have developed a new solution for planting.  A trailer, which we designed and built, has a plough at the leading end which opens a furrow for planting as it is drawn along the terrace by the tractor.  A man sits atop the plough share and inserts a pé – the plant – into the furrow.  Just beyond his reach there is a mechanism to close the furrow around the pé quite gently, then a second mechanism to close it more closely and firmly.  When the last planted pé passes a marker on the trailer, the plantador knows to insert the next one, to ensure even planting.  Three men can plant 4,000 vines in a day with this trailer.  We trialled it last year with the new plantation at Quinta do Tua, made some improvements and adjustments, and are using it again this year at Malvedos with great success.

After we have planted, we irrigate by hand – someone walks down the line of vines with a hose, just as you do in your own garden – to give the plants a good long drink to settle the soil and help them get established.

The pés are made from scions from our own plant stock, in this case Touriga Franca selected from Quinta do Vesuvio.  When we pruned at Quinta do Vesuvio during the winter of 2011/2012, we selected certain canes and left them on the vine to mature a little bit more before cutting them and sending them to a nursery, where they were grafted onto our choice of rootstock.  The grafted plants have been growing at the nursery throughout 2012, and have now been delivered to us for planting.  The red wax protects the grafted join, and will gradually fall off as the plant grows.

Elsewhere in the quinta, we are grafting new vines in-place:  where we have lost an odd vine in a mature plantation, we plant a rootstock and let it grow for a year to establish itself, then the following year cut down the rootstock, and insert a scion, again cut from our own vines, and complete the graft by wrapping it with raffia to hold it snug so the plant material can grow together.

Budburst – the emergence of the first leaves of the vines – at Quinta dos Malvedos (Touriga Nacional)

Most important viticulturally:  we have bud burst – the appearance of the first buds of leaves on the vines.  Alexandre said it is a bit later than usual this year, but this is not a concern, as once the weather warms up, with the moisture in the upper soil from recent rains, the vines will grow rapidly and make up any lost time.

Many more plants are blooming including fruit trees, lavendar, gorse, and the aromatic esteva which you can often recognise on the nose of Graham’s ports.  We even have tadpoles spawning in a puddle from a tractor print on the road into the vineyards.  Spring is definitely making itself felt throughout our quintas.

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The VINUM Restaurant & Wine Bar at Graham’s 1890 Lodge — now open!

Following months of careful preparation, the VINUM restaurant at Graham’s opened its doors to the public on February 19^th. The VINUM Restaurant & Wine Bar forms an integral part of Graham’s renovated 1890 Lodge, sections of which have already opened to visitors. The new visitors’ centre — ‘Graham’s 1890 Lodge’ — will be formally inaugurated on the 21^st of March. This is a full working Port Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia and especially attractive in that it now offers its visitors a restaurant and wine bar. Graham’s has teamed up with SAGARDI, www.gruposagardi.com , internationally recognized as specialists in wine-related gastronomy at the very highest level. At VINUM, you are presented with ideal food pairings for the Symington family’s extensive range of Douro and Port wines. The entrées, main courses and desserts are specially created to accompany these wines.

The Vinum Restaurant in the Graham’s 1890 Lodge

VINUM’S Portuguese team will strive from the outset to create wonderful food from all the best natural ingredients that can be produced in, and sourced from, the North of Portugal, including of course, the Douro Valley and from the cold and clean deep waters of the neighbouring Atlantic Ocean. The Portuguese Atlantic coast has a world reputation as a source of some of the world’s very best seafood. Fresh fish will be served daily from the day’s catch, obtained from the local Matosinhos fishing harbour.

Another view of the Vinum Restaurant.

Vinum’s setting is very much in the Lodge environment. To one side, once sat down at their table, diners can view the seemingly endless rows of pipes, separated from the restaurant by a clever, discreet metal and glass screen. On the opposite side there is the large bulk of the Lodge’s granite walls. Elegant iron columns support the attractive original Riga pine timbers and roofing; their seasoned tones casting an inviting, soft golden light over the tables. In short, a very atmospheric surrounding in which to enjoy delicious meals with some wonderful wines.

The ‘Privado’ area of the Restaurant; a reserved area for small groups or private parties.

The restaurant comfortably seats up to 90 people and a further 64 in the adjoining Atrium terrace. If required, an additional 16 people can be accommodated at the chef’s private table. VINUM is open all year round, serving lunch and dinner, as well as light snacks and wine by the glass in the wine bar.

The Atrium: The VINUM restaurant also features a very attractive external covered seating area, on the terrace adjoining the main Lodge façade and known as ‘The Atrium.’ This terrace has one of the very best views of any restaurant in Gaia and Porto. Given the Graham’s Lodge location on high ground, it commands expansive views of the old medieval quarters of Porto and Gaia, as well as the iconic Dom Luis ‘double-decker’ bridge over the Douro River. This view is spectacular both during the day and at night, when all the medieval landmarks are beautifully floodlit. This terrace can furthermore be enjoyed in all weathers as a well designed, graceful conservatory type structure allows for year-round usage and therefore, come rain or sunshine, VINUM’S diners can always enjoy the remarkable vistas.

‘The Atrium’ at Vinum; enjoy your meal with incomparable views.

The Wine bar: with its stylish and carefree bistro ambience, visitors can enjoy a variety of snacks (‘tapas’, ‘pintxos’, sweet pastries) and wine by the glass, seated on tall stools around the bar itself or at small round tables. There is also an outside, open air terrace, ideal for enjoying Porto’s year round sunshine with a chilled white wine or perhaps a lightly chilled Old Tawny Port.

The stylish wine bar at Vinum

Bring your family and friends and pay us a visit at Vinum; we are confident you will be impressed. Why not come before lunch and visit our museum and lodge, enjoy an appetizer at the wine bar and then progress to the restaurant proper to sample Vinum’s superb gastronomy?

The Wine Bar at Vinum: come and enjoy wines by the glass with some great tapas!

If you would like to book a table please ring +351 220 930 417 or email us at: reservas@vinumatgrahams.com

Tracking the Season – 9 February

Quinta do Tua,  9 February 12:47, a beautiful sunny winter’s day

The weather for our most recent visit to Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos and Quinta do Tua could not have been more different from January’s visit:  instead of overcast and low fog, we had some brilliant warm sunshine and mostly clear blue skies, though the moment the sun dropped behind the hills opposite it felt sharply colder and wintry once again.

In January we had plenty of rain – over 100mm at Malvedos.  Alexandre Mariz, our viticulturist, is very pleased, but still wants more before he will feel really confident  about deep water reserves and prospects for the coming year.  In another example of the intense, almost bizarre, micro-climatisation here in the Douro, he mentioned that the quinta on the south bank of the river directly opposite Quinta do Tua received almost 30mm more rain than we did at Malvedos just slightly down river on the north bank!

The pruning is all done, and a small team was working to pull down from the trellises the last of the cut vines for shredding and turning into the soil.  Alexandre’s main concern right now is the surriba in the upper part of Malvedos, where we are re-landscaping 5 hectares of hillside.  Because of the heavy rains in January we lost 8 days’ work, and we need to complete the landscaping and soil preparation in time for planting later in February or early March.

Earlier this winter we planted the cover crops in between rows of vines in the vertically planted vineyards on the western end of Malvedos, and already the mixture of legumes and grasses have begun to sprout and you can see a fine haze of green between rows of vines.

Malvedos Touriga Nacional 9 February 14:36

For 2013 we will again monitor a single vine to exemplify the season, and we have chosen a young Touriga Nacional, one of a large parcel planted in 2005 on the hillside that forms an ampitheatre behind the house, facing the river.  As a more recently planted vine, it is trained in a single cordon along the lower wire, and last year’s shoots have been pruned down to leave just two buds on each spur.

Touriga Nacional is perhaps the most well known of the grape varieties used to make Port wines.  It has an extraordinarily complex flavour and aroma profile, with black fruits such as cassis, mulberry and raspberry predominating, but it can also bring floral notes such as violets and rockrose.  It has strong tannins and balanced acidity which give its wines great structure and ageing potential.

The almond trees have begun to blossom at Malvedos, a sure sign winter will be drawing to an end soon.

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Graham’s Ports Leave Their Mark in Memorable Tasting

10th EDITION OF ESSÊNCIA DO VINHO ‘ ESSENCE OF WINE’ FESTIVAL

The Essência do Vinho, now in its tenth edition, is the principal wine event held annually in northern Portugal, and generates ever increasing interest not just from the trade — wine professionals, sommeliers and restaurateurs — but also from consumers (Portuguese and foreign) as well as journalists from Portugal and from farther afield. The organizers prepared a very comprehensive and interesting programme for the 2013 edition, featuring a number of tutored tastings, which revolve around varied themes, involving both Portuguese wines and wines from other countries. More than 20,000 visitors are expected over the four-day event (7^th – 10^th February).

Porto’s old stock exchange, the venue for the 10th edition of “Essência do Vinho.”

The venue is the magnificent old Stock Exchange building in Porto (the Palácio da Bolsa) and under its covered, lofty courtyard, 350 wine producers are showing visitors over 3000 different wines. This has always proven one of the reasons for the event’s great popularity: the fact consumers, and wine enthusiasts generally, can discuss their favourite wines directly with the producers and winemakers themselves. The atmosphere is very relaxed and very rewarding for the scope it allows visitors in tasting wines from Portugal’s varied and rich wine heritage, ranging from the country’s great fortified wines (Port and Madeira) to the up-and-coming dry wines from the Douro, Alentejo and the Dão, as well as those from other less well known regions.

The covered courtyard where exhibitors show their wines.

One of the themed tastings that has generated greatest interest over the last few days has been Symington Family Estates’s ‘Voyage in Time: 3 Centuries – 10 Wines’ — a tutored tasting hosted by Paul Symington on Saturday, February 9th. Indeed as soon as it was announced, it was almost immediately sold out and the organizers approached the family asking if it were possible to accommodate more people (from the original starting figure of 25). This isn’t quite as simple as it sounds, because when you’ve only got a few dozen bottles of the legendary Graham’s 1948 left in your private family cellar, it isn’t a mute point!  In the end, a few additional people were accommodated and they were very grateful that they managed a place because the tasting proved to be indeed memorable.

Manuel Rocha (left), fourth generation blender at Graham’s and Henry Shotton (our winemaker at Quinta dos Malvedos) comment the 1948 Graham’s they have just decanted

Of the 10 Ports tasted, Graham’s provided the main offering, showing 5 wines; the 1948, 1963 and 1970 Vintages, as well as the 1952 (‘Diamond Jubilee’) and 1935 Colheita, or Single Harvest Tawnies. Landmark Vintage Ports from the family’s three other Port marques (Cockburn, Dow and Warre) were also present and the tasting culminated on a very high note with the unprecedented opportunity of sampling a treasured family heirloom, a very old family reserve (cask-matured) Port dating from the late 19^th century. The tasting was held in the ‘Arab Salon’ — an exquisitely decorated chamber of the old stock exchange well known as a venue for ceremonial events.

The tasting gets off to a start in the magnificent ‘Arab Salon’ of the stock exchange

The first Graham’s wine shown was the 1970, heralded as one of the finest Vintage Ports of the second half of the twentieth century. Paul commented to the captive audience of tasters that, in his opinion, this is indeed one of the finest 3 or 4 Vintages of the last half-century. The 1970 holds a particular significance for Paul and his family as it was the first Graham’s Vintage made by them, shortly after acquiring the famous Port house. Paul’s father and his cousins, who made the wine, couldn’t have wished for a more auspicious start. One could say this Port is 43 years young, such is the evident capacity of this impressive wine to carry on developing still further (years? decades?). But if you are fortunate enough to have this gorgeous wine in your cellar, why wait any longer to enjoy it?? It is drinking magnificently well right now.

Paul Symington enthuses the virtues of the legendary Graham’s 1948

The next wine sampled was the 1963, and once again one could be forgiven for heaping superlatives on this half-century old Port. As Paul pointed out — just how many of the world’s fine wines can reach 50 years of age and still show such balance, complexity, sheer completeness? The 1963 was a landmark Vintage; it marked a turnaround in Port’s fortunes following the post world war II era when sales of Port took a long time to recover.

Only two bottles of the 1948 were made available by the family for this tasting.

The legendary Graham’s 1948 was next and it proved one of the several high points of the tasting. As Paul remarked, “this is a wine that commands respect and admiration”. The wine showed an ethereal quality, with hints of mint, cinnamon and nuances of coffee (a distinctive hallmark of the 1948). A superbly refined wine with ripple after ripple of flavours and sensations, culminating with an endless, persistent aftertaste. Recovering from flu, Paul told the audience that he was feeling much better for sampling all these superb wines — the very best medicine he could take for a speedy recovery! This is a wine that deserves to be enjoyed on its own, without any unnecessary distractions.

Following this majestic trio of Vintages, Paul guided the gathered tasters through the other great interpretation of the art of Port: the cask-matured wines. The exquisitely elegant and charming Graham’s 1952 Diamond Jubilee surprised the tasters with its vitality and freshness, belying its 60 years of age. The subtlety of the 1935 enchanted all those present, but the best was kept till last: the family reserve dating from the late 19^th century. The concentration and complexity of this exceptional wine left everyone spellbound by its sheer intensity and presence. Layer upon layer of flavours teased the assembled palates, leaving everybody enchanted. The aftertaste will linger for a long time in the memory of those who were privileged to take part in this tasting.

To learn more about all the Vintage Ports shown at this tasting, read  the blog on The Vintage Port Site.

The trio of Graham’s Vintage Ports tasted; they provided the tasters with a memorable experience.

WSET Diploma Awards: Graham’s Port Scholarship

Wine & Spirit Education Trust Awards & Graduation Ceremony at London’s Guildhall – Monday 21^st of January.

On Monday evening, January 21^st, over 500 Graduates, Scholarship prize winners and other guests gathered at the City of London’s historic Guildhall to celebrate the successes of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) students in the past academic year (2011 – 2012). Paul Symington, Joint Managing Director of Graham’s was there to hand over the Graham’s Port Scholarship to the winner: Adam Guy (Antique Wine Company) in recognition of his achievements in the Fortified Wine exam. Adam has won a five day trip to Portugal’s Upper Douro Valley where he will visit Graham’s vineyards, including the flagship estate: Quinta dos Malvedos.

Paul Symington presents Adam Guy with the Graham’s Scholarship prize, as Jancis Robinson looks on.

Opening the ceremony, the WSET Honorary President, Jancis Robinson OBE MW commented on the changing dynamics of the global wine world as reflected in WSET’s business, noting: “Despite the continued growth of student numbers in the UK, the fact is that Greater China is set to overtake the UK as WSET’s biggest market this year, something I would have never imagined possible when I did my Diploma”.

In her introduction to the 2013 WSET Yearbook, Jancis Robinson very aptly writes, “There really is a strong argument that the spread of wine, wine drinking and wine study is akin to the spread of cultural life.”

Graham’s is proud to be associated with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, which provides wine education and qualifications on a truly global scale (present in 60 countries).

 

Tracking the Season – 10 & 11 January

Last week we we made our first visit of the new year to Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos and Quinta do Tua to check on the viticultural progress in our Douro quintas.   In addition, we were able to visit Quinta do Vale de Malhadas, in the Douro Superior, which also contributes grapes to the Graham’s blends.

Weather Conditions

From Quinta do Tua low clouds moving over Quinta dos Malvedos on Friday

The two days were pretty typical mid-winter Douro weather:  at river level and the first 200 or 300 metres above we were in fog and the day was overcast.  But above that, from perhaps 400 metres or so, we could come out above the capacete, the cloud cover, and enjoy the real weather, which was a mixture of sun and clouds on Thursday and on Friday rather more sun.  In fact, on Friday Alexandre Mariz, our viticulturist, said it was the first proper sun – strong enough to cast a shadow – that we had had up there since before Christmas.

The rain fall the past month or two has been around the long term averages, but both Mário Natário, our viticulturist at Vale de Malhadas, and Alexandre said we need a lot more rain before they will be satisfied that the deep-level reserves, which are critical to enable our vines to keep going throughout the hot summer, have been replenished.

Quinta dos Malvedos and Quinta do Tua

We are just about done with the job of pruning our vines at these two quintas, just a few parcels to go, notably the young Sousão at Quinta do Tua.  These vines were planted just three years ago and have so far been allowed to grow straight upwards.  This year, when they are pruned, we will be training them along the lowest wire of the trellis in a single cordon formation.  This is a specialist job, as the health and production of these vines for the next two or three decades depends a great deal on their being properly pruned and trained now.

Quinta do Tua 11 January 12:11 pm

As we looked across the parcels of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca planted last winter at Tua, you can see quite vividly the thick green herbage which has sprung up in response to the winter rains.  Any gardener will know that after double digging long buried weed seeds will come alive, and that is exactly what has happened here.  Actually, Alexandre could not be happier about this lush growth – all of that will be ploughed in and add much-needed organic matter to our soil, which is fundamentally little more than xistous rock dust.

Landscaping to replant north-western parcels of Quinta dos Malvedos

At Malvedos we have completed the surriba – the landscaping – of the terraces west of the caseiro’s house and are already well along the landscaping of another parcel for re-planting.  At the north-western edge of Malvedos, at one of the highest points in the quinta, we have taken out another 5 hectares of old, not terribly productive parcels of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, and are sculpting new terraces, which will be re-planted with Touriga Nacional and Sousão.

Vineyards on western side of Malvedos now under organic management

From that area we had a spectacular view of the vineyards added into the western side of Malvedos last summer.  If you look at the photo, you can see clearly above the cluster of buildings a broad swath of vertically-planted vineyards.  Below them in the centre of the photo inside the curve of the road is a narrow band of vineyard terraces and a large area of uncultivated land and olive groves on terraces, and to the right of those, more vineyard terraces which continue down and to the right out of sight into a narrow valley.  All of that area, since harvest, has been managed organically, and in three years time we hope to achieve organic (or produção biologica) certification for these vineyards.

Vertically planted vineyards on eastern side of Malvedos for organic management

Over on the north-eastern side of Malvedos is another area of vertical plantations, in three parcels of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca and Touriga Franca respectively.  These parcels are also being managed organically since the 2012 harvest.

One of the first steps in establishing our organic management regime has been the recent planting of cover crops between rows of vines.  These crops serve two purposes:  first and foremost to help prevent the erosion of soil down the hillside of these vertically planted parcels, and secondly to naturally enhance and balance the nutrients in the soil, by the planting of a mixture of leguminous plants and cereals.  When a plant is healthy and in equilibrium it is much less susceptible to attack by pests or disease, so maintaining soil quality for healthy vines is fundamental in an organic regime.  You can learn more about the importance and benefits of this practice in our feature article about Cover Crops in the Vineyards.

Malvedos Touriga Franca 11 January 14:05 pm

Finally, we paid one last visit to our Touriga Franca vine, which has been pruned.  We seem to have come full circle since we first began our tracking last March, looking at a dormant vine with just short spurs waiting for warmer weather to burst into life.   Beginning next month we will monitor progress in another part of Quinta dos Malvedos, and another grape variety.

Quinta do Vale de Malhadas

In the Douro Superior just east of Quinta do Vesuvio is Quinta do Vale de Malhadas, which is privately owned by three of the Symington cousins, and contributes grapes to the Graham’s blends (consult a map of Symington quintas).  Here again, the winter’s work is well in hand, and the team were working on the last of the pruning.  I noticed that while most of the vines had been pruned and the cuttings left on the ground, a few vines still had some neatly trimmed spurs in place.  Mário Natário, our viticulturist, explained that these were being left to grow a little thicker and sturdier, and would soon be harvested and used for enxertas, or grafting-in-place.

On the left you can see spurs remaining on the vine to be cut later for use as grafting scions

One of our tasks for late winter is the replacement of the odd dead or missing vines; every vineyard has a few of these each year.  Our routine is in the first year to remove the dead vine and plant an americano, an american root stock.  The following year, when we are satisfied that that has taken well, we trim down the americano to its stump, then split the stump and insert a scion – a length of matured vine such as those we saw at Vale de Malhadas – of our choice of indigenous grape variety.   The details of this process are fascinating, see our article with a step by step photo gallery about grafting new vines for more details.

Each year Charles Symington, our head winemaker, and our viticultural team estimate our grafting needs and then select the best source vineyards of plant material for each variety.  As we do our pruning we select and set aside lengths of matured vines from our own vineyards to do this in-situ grafting.  In this way we can slowly and surely improve our vineyards by selecting stocks that have performed well both in terms of their hardiness in our vineyards and in the quality of grapes and wines they produce.

Touching up the terraces at Vale de Malhadas before re-planting

At Vale de Malhadas we also have a re-planting project underway.  On the eastern most hillside face we had 4.5 hectares of Tinta Roriz which was old and ready for replacement.  Luckily, the patamares, the terraces, were generally in very good condition so we have not had to do the work of smoothing out the entire hillside and starting over, as at Malvedos.  Instead, the bulldozers are just correcting and refining the shape of the patamares as needed, particularly to ensure that the level terrace surface in fact cants slightly back into the hill, so any rainfall run off will run back into the hillside, where it can soak in.  In this easternmost part of the Douro an average year sees only 400 – 500 mm of rain, so capturing every drop in the soil is critical.

All told, the winter’s work is well in hand at our quintas, and we are looking forward to the new year.  The only thing we could wish for is some more rain.

Which Port Did Johnny Symington Enjoy This Christmas?

Johnny Symington at the launch of the Graham’s 1952 Diamond Jubilee Port earlier this year

Just before Christmas our Vintage Port Site blogger asked the Symingtons and colleagues around the office what Ports they would be enjoying with their holiday feasts.

We only heard from Johnny Symington the morning after Christmas, but wanted to share his story with you:

Sorry not to reply earlier, I only decided on Christmas eve.

Having had a Pre launch taster of the Graham’s 1952 at last years Christmas lunch (before it was the Graham’s 1952 Diamond Jubilee Port and before it was approved by the palace and served at the Sovereign Heads Lunch at Windsor Castle). I decided on Christmas Eve this year that I would finish the Diamond Jubilee year with the same wine and celebrate and reflect on the outstanding PR success  that this wine has had for Graham’s.

The Graham’s 1952 Diamond Jubilee Port

So as I sipped and reflected at our Christmas Dinner this year the overwhelming thought was “no wonder it was such a success, the wine is so delicious and over delivers in every respect”.

As we go into 2013 this wine becomes a collectors’ item of great rarity and significance.

You can read more about which Ports we enjoyed during our holiday festivities on The Vintage Port Site blog.

How about you? What Ports have you enjoyed this holiday season, or are looking forward to in the coming week?  We would love to hear from you!