A look inside Cockburn’s renovated Port cellars

The rebirth of Cockburn’s Port under Symington Family ownership continues as the brand’s newly-refurbished nineteenth century lodge opens to visitors.

Cockburn’s cellars are the largest in the historic riverside setting of Vila Nova de Gaia. Photo credit: João Margalha

Located in in Vila Nova de Gaia – which is on the other side of the River Douro from Porto – the Cockburn’s cellars are the largest in the old quarter of the city, holding 6,518 seasoned oak barrels of maturing Port, plus the equivalent of a further 10,056 barrels in oak vats.

Within the renovated cellars is a new museum holding a collection of 19th century watercolours by Baron Forrester – who is most famous for publishing the first detailed map of the Douro in 1848 – along with extracts from the unpublished 1930s diaries of another of Port’s legendary figures, John Smithes.

Visitors will also be able to see the company’s coopers at work repairing barrels, using the same tools and crafts that their ancestors have used for centuries, as well as a Robey steam engine, originally manufactured in Lincoln, England in 1921 and used for the making of barrels until 1996.

Commenting on the opening of the new visitor experience and renovated cellars, Paul Symington said “The opening of these cellars is an important step in the revival of this great Port house after decades of multi-national ownership.”

Continuing, he added, “My family continues to invest in Cockburn’s and now visitors can come and see our work at first hand.”

It was also noted that Cockburn’s – which was bought by the Symington Family in 2010 – is one of the diminishing number of Port houses that still chooses to continue the tradition of ageing Port in the historic centre of Vila Nova de Gaia.

Indeed, as previously reported by db, The Fladgate Partnership – which owns Taylor’s – is turning its nineteenth century Port ageing warehouses into a major tourist attraction, which has been named ‘The World of Wine’.

This will feature a range of educational tourist attractions, along with shops and restaurants, while the Ports that were once cellared here are housed in a more accessible location outside the city.

The opening of the renovated Cockburn’s facility in Gaia follows a former investment by the Symington Family in tourism, but further up the River Douro.

In May 2015, the group opened a visitor centre at its Quinta do Bomfim winery in Pinhão, using a historic schist warehouse to house a rare collection of 19th and early 20th century photographs of the Douro, as well as historic documents that record centuries of farming in the mountain vineyards.

Although Pinhão is only around 100km from Porto, or a little over two hours by train, most visitors to northern Portugal tend to stay in the historic city of Porto, learning about Port from visitor centres within the lodges that line the riverside in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Commenting on this situation two years ago, Paul Symington told db, “Gaia gets around 800,000 tourists each year: tourism in Porto is booming, the city is becoming a mini Barcelona… but the challenge is to get people to come to the Douro.”

For more on the top tourism attractions in Porto and the Douro, see the July 2016 issue of the drinks business.

Meanwhile, for a look inside the new Cockburn’s visitor centre, see the following pages. All the pictures have been taken by João Margalha.

Visitors enter via a stone-paved patio, where, in warm weather, a glass of Port can be enjoyed here while sitting around granite tables shaded by overhanging vines.

Visitors then pass into a spacious reception area where original 19^th century watercolours and drawings by Baron Joseph James Forrester are exhibited. One of the works is a fine sepia and wash drawing of one of the River Douro’s most notorious rapids, the Cachão da Valeira, where Baron Forrester drowned when his boat capsized.

Visitors begin their guided tours in a museum which charts Cockburn’s 200-year history. A series of exhibits reveal the stories of the families that built Cockburn’s; their planting of vineyards in the Douro Valley and the making of legendary Ports that turned Cockburn’s into a world-renowned producer. Original ledgers, winemakers’ notebooks and letters dating from the company’s foundation are displayed. A 100-year-old ceramic sculpture of an oxcart transporting a barrel of Port by one of Portugal’s leading early 20^th century artists — Teixeira Lopes — is a prized exhibit portraying a bygone era. The museum also provides interesting insights into the pioneering research on Douro grape varieties carried out by one of Cockburn’s – and Port’s – legendary figures: John Henry Smithes. An original letter dating from December 1817 and written by the founder, Robert Cockburn, is also displayed. In it he wrote what became the company’s guiding principle: “The quality of the wine – that is the first thing to be looked to.”

The John Smithes Room is separated from the main tasting room by a flight of steps and is named after one of Cockburn’s most charismatic and influential figures. With just six tables seating up to 36 people, this private room is where visitors can opt for a ‘premium’ tasting and will sample a range of Cockburn’s fine and rare Vintage Ports and Aged Tawnies. Framed pictures of John Smithes in the Douro vineyards are displayed on the walls, alongside testimonials of his work which reflect the enormous contribution he made to the knowledge of Douro grape varieties.

The tasting room is an extension of the Port cellars, and only a wood-framed glass screen separates the two areas. This gives the tasting room a special atmosphere under the high timbered ceiling, criss-crossed with mighty beams and rafters. Seating is available for 80 people who can select a range of Cockburn’s Ports for tasting. Professional guides will introduce the wines and be on hand to answer any questions.

Cockburn’s is the last Port producer to maintain a fully equipped and operational cooperage in Vila Nova de Gaia, with a full team of seven coopers. A highlight of the visit to Cockburn’s is the possibility offered to visitors to view the coopers at work, wielding mallets with which they disassemble barrels stave by stave for maintenance and then reassemble them — presenting a scene which has changed little over the centuries. Alongside the cooperage is a preserved steam engine manufactured in 1921 for Cockburn’s by Robey of Lincoln in England, which was used until the end of the 20th century to produce steam for shaping wood to make barrels.

In the dimly lit underground Vintage Port cellars, known as ‘bins’, the visitor will journey through Cockburn’s history of fine winemaking with bottles of Vintage Ports.

These span three different centuries, from the legendary 1868 and 1896 to the exceptional 1908 and the lauded 2011.

The visit continues through the working sections of the buildings where thousands of oak barrels, tonels and vats hold Cockburn’s valuable stocks of maturing wines. A brief video explains the importance of the ageing of Port in seasoned wood and the central role played by the coopers. Visitors pass through the longest ageing gallery of any Port cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia, filled with the impressive sight of thousands of barrels, stacked four high.

Besides the large vats where wines such as Special Reserve are matured, smaller and unusually shaped vats can also be seen. These are part of the unique ageing that Cockburn’s uses to give its Special Reserve its singular identity.

Before leaving the premises, visitors have the opportunity of purchasing Ports from the Cockburn’s range and from its sister Port companies owned by the Symington family.

The family’s DOC Douro red and white wines are also available for purchase alongside wine books, accessories, Port-infused chocolate, and special gift packs.