Cockburn's Port lines up year of celebrations for bicentenary

By Gemma McKenna

Published: 20 January, 2015

Cockburn's Port is embarking on a year of celebration in 2015 to mark the company's bicentenary - including launching a commemorative edition of its Special Reserve.

Cockburn's Port Cockburn's Lodge Vila Nova da GaiaCockburn's Port is embarking on a year of celebrations to mark its bicentenary

The Port House was founded in Portugal in 1815, the same year as the Battle of Waterloo, by Scotsman Robert Cockburn and his younger brother John, and continued to be family-run until well into the twentieth century.

After 48 years as part of a multinational corporation, the company was returned to family ownership in 2010 when it was acquired by the Symington family. The last four years have seen some radical changes to the vineyards, wineries and cellars resulting in significant improvements to the wine's quality.

The flagship product is Cockburn's Special Reserve, made from grapes handpicked at Cockburn's Quinta dos Canais and other family vineyards.

Paul Symington, managing director of Cockburn's Port, said: "Since buying Cockburn's, we have decisively taken the brand back to its roots in the Douro vineyards. The corporate business plans are now a thing of the past and it is the wine's quality which is our only consideration [...]. There is no better way to celebrate this very significant milestone in Cockburn's history."

The company has not yet revealed the range of events planned to mark the bicentenary, other than the launch of its commemorative Special Reserve.

The Symington family have been Port producers for five generations since 1882 but their involvement in Port dates back 14 generations to 1652 through their great-grandmother Beatrice Leitão de Carvalhosa Atkinson. The company owns brands such as Graham's, Cockburn's, Dow's and Warre's as well as being the leading vineyard owner in the Douro valley with 1,006 hectares of vines across 26 quintas.

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