B.f.t plays hardball with visitors via individual vetting process

Visitors to yesterday’s Big Fortified Tasting would have all undergone a basic background checks, Harpers has learned.

Niepoort declares ‘epic’ 2017 vintage

Winemaker Dirk Niepoort has declared his 2017 vintage port, hailing it as “the best wine I’ve ever done” at a tasting for the trade at Lyle’s in London on Thursday.

Prowein: Sogevinus steps lightly into Douro table wine market

Grupo Sogevinus, best known for its collection of Portuguese-style Port houses and range of old colheitas, officially launched its growing range of Douro table wine at Prowein.

Q&A: Adrian Bridge, chief executive, the Fladgate Partnership

Symington overhauls Dow’s to extend its appeal

Symington Family Estates has given its Dow’s Aged Tawny portfolio an overhaul in a bid to extend the Port’s appeal to a younger audience and beyond Christmas and formal occasions.

Jascots expands Port portfolio with Vieira de Sousa

Jascots has expanded its Port portfolio with the addition of family Port House Vieira de Sousa.

All the trimmings: alternatives to pair with Christmas

As summer slides inexorably into autumn, we Brits start ringing the seasonal changes. Light cotton shirts give way to warm sweaters, then the coats come out of seasonal hibernation. Afterwards there’s the annual dither about whether or not to switch the central heating on yet. Before you know it they’ll be playing Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas on a continuous loop in every shopping mall and supermarket between Land’s End and John O’Groats and offering deals on anything from Play Station consoles to family-sized boxes of Quality Street.

Douro harvest delivers quality on back of “absurdly low” yields

Following a year of challenging weather extremes, the Douro’s 2018 harvest has given up some “excellent Ports and Douro wines” according to Symington Family Estate’s annual harvest report.

Sponsored profile: Q&A with Joao Prates, NERVIR Association

Soul Wines is an innovatve new intiative bringing together tradtional Douro producing families to give them gerater visibility on the international market. Joao Prates explains the big idea


What is Soul Wines and what are the ambitions of the Project?

Paul Symington to step down as chair

Paul Symington is stepping down as chairman of Symington Family Estates at the end of this year following a 40-year career in the family business.

Facing up to climate change

The Climate Change Leadership Porto Summit gave compelling reasons for the drinks trade to take a lead on tackling global warming, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Symington reports soaring 2016 Vintage Port sales

The Symington Family has reported ‘exceptionally strong’ demand for its 2016 Vintage Ports.

Churchill’s joins port peers in declaring 2016 a vintage year

Churchill’s has become the latest port house to declare 2016 a vintage year following unusual but ultimately beneficial growing conditions in Portugal.

The resurgence of the port industry

At first glance, it appears to be a case of “same old story” when analysing port’s prospects in the UK. According to CGA Strategy, in the 12 months to February 24, 2018, port sales (by volume, 9-litre cases) decreased by more than 11%, falling 9.8% in value. Nielsen data concurs: retail sales declined by more than 2%, remaining static in MAT TY 142,687 % CHG VS value at £77 million (MAT to March 3, 2018).

2016 Ports debut at London preview

Purity, precision and terroir were very much the buzz words at the 2016 Vintage Port Preview Tasting in London on May 17, where Symington Family Estates, The Fladgate Partnership and Quinta do Noval collaborated to show wines from the recently and unanimously declared 2016 vintage.

Port houses join Symington in declaring 2016 vintage

Quinta do Noval and Quinta do Romaneira are the latest Port houses to declare 2016 a vintage year, following the lead of top Port house Symington Family Estates.

Symington hails 2016 Vintage Port year

The Symington Family has declared 2016 a Vintage Port year, marking only the fourth Vintage declaration of all the family’s Port companies since 2000.

Trends of 2017

There has been no shortage of evolution in the drinks world over the past year, providing canny operators with plenty of openings for upping customer engagement. Andrew Catchpole reports

Symington donates 10th ambulance in wake of Douro fires

Port producer Symington Family Estates, has presented a new ambulance to the Sabrosa Volunteer Fire Brigade following the devastating fires in the region.

Guy Woodward: The great Port revival

Remember all that talk, a few years back, of the big sherry revival? About how, spurred on by the growth of tapas bars, small-plate dining, aperitif culture and cool España, fino and amontillado were the new tipples of choice for the hipster generation?