Graham’s launches Port bond scheme in UK

Graham’s is launching the world’s first Port bond in the UK, which will allow people to buy a case of vintage Port in the year it is harvested, rather than having to wait the typical 18 months before the wine is aged, bottled and shipped.

The bond will guarantee of a case of a particular vintage even while the wine is on the vine (Photo: Graham’s)

The Symington-owned brand is making the bonds available through UK fine wine merchants like Berry Bros & Rudd, Jeroboams, Selfridges, Tanners and Vintage Wine & Port.

The recommended retail price for a vintage bond will be around £390, but Graham’s says that this price can fluctuate marginally.

Graham’s has assured that if a vintage Port is not “declared” – or not released for sale due to a poor harvest – in that year then the bond holder will receive two cases of Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port. In the unlikely event that no vintage Port at all is made in any given year then a full refund will be guaranteed or an alternative year offered.

The bond scheme has been set up to encourage the British tradition of gifting a case of vintage Port to a child in the year of their birth, or to a couple in the year of their marriage.

Given that Port is usually not released until the second spring after a particular vintage is harvested, it was previously difficult to buy a case of Port as a commemorative gift as it would have to be done retrospectively.

However, through the vintage bond, Graham’s can guarantee one case of vintage Port in the year of the harvest, to be redeemed once the wine is bottled and shipped around 18 months later.

The buyer will receive a certificate on purchase, which can be passed on as a gift until the wine is declared (Photo: Graham’s)

The buyer will receive a “Vintage Port Bond Certificate” on purchase, with personalised calligraphy that can be gifted to the child in their year of birth, or given to a married couple at their wedding, despite the wine still being on the vine.

Graham’s has said that the number of vintage Port bonds available each year will be limited, but it is currently unclear what that limit is.

Dawn Davies, wine & spirits buyer for Selfridges said: “We are really excited to be working with Graham’s Port on the innovative vintage Port bond project. Vintage Port is the perfect way to mark a special occasion, and now our customers don’t have to wait to gift it to their loved ones.”

Paul Symington, managing director of brand-owner Symington Family Estates, said the initiative offers “an innovative and practical solution to a problem we have long noticed, and allows our customers to enjoy a Vintage Port which hold personal significance to them, at special occasions throughout their life.”