Graham’s expands Douro holdings

Port house W&J Graham & Co has announced the purchase of a 19 hectare vineyard next door to its famous Quinta dos Malvedos property in the Upper Douro.

Quinta do Sibio

Quinta do Síbio has been supplying Graham’s with grapes for several years. In addition to its vineyard planted with traditional Port varieties, the property includes a stretch of land along the river Douro planted with citrus and olive trees, as well as large areas covered with indigenous shrubs and three natural springs.

The vineyards have a similar south-facing exposure to Malvedos, planted in a mixture of traditional “patamar” terraces and the vertical planting layout favoured by many producers today.

Graham’s forms part of Symington Family Estates, which owns 940 hectares of vineyard across the Douro Valley in addition to its contracts with local growers. The Sibio vineyards will be managed by the existing Malvedos vitiultural team, which also looks after Graham’s upstream property Quinta do Tua.

A statement from the company said: “Even coming at a time of great economic uncertainty, we believe that this purchase strongly reinforces Graham’s commitment to vineyard ownership, and underpins our ongoing investment in the quality of our wines for the longer term.”