Symington family bottles six 2019 quinta vintage Ports

The Symington family has bottled six quinta vintage Ports from 2019 and will release two en primeur from two of the family’s most renowned estates – Quinta do Vesúvio and Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira.

As a “celebration of the unique terroir” of the two estates, the release will be accompanied by two limited edition cases from both estates, each containing the 2019, 2009 and 1999 vintage Ports.

Symington is one of the world’s leading producers of premium Port and the leading vineyard owner in the Douro Valley. It remains a family business, now run by its fourth and fifth generation.

The 2019 Quinta Vintage Ports were produced during an erratic growing season. The rainfall in the Douro was 50% below winter average and there was almost no rain in summer. Fortunately, a patch of showers at the end of August helped the grapes achieve more balanced maturations.

As a result, head winemaker Charles Symington chose to pick the grapes over six weeks, becoming one of Symington’s longest harvests in recent years. The efforts resulted in a collection of “perfectly ripe grape varieties in good quantities” delivering “lively and exuberant wines”.

Instead of blending the 2019 harvest to create a ‘classic’ vintage Port from each Port house, Charles Symington decided to bottle these six estate wines.

The fourth generation winemaker said: “In 2019, the various plots of vineyards within each of these estates delivered small volumes of wine with fantastic depth and complexity.

“We believe these wines could not have been enhanced by blending across each of our port houses’ top quintas to produce a ‘classic’ vintage Port. Instead, we decided to blend the best performing components within each of our estates and bottle six quinta vintage Ports.”

He added: “These exciting and lively young wines represent the absolute pinnacle of the 2019 harvest. They are stunning today and I believe they will age beautifully over many decades.”

Charles Symington and fifth generation port producer Harry Symington, in discussion with five guests, will be presenting the 2019 Quinta vintage Ports virtually via Instagram Live (@symingtonfamilyestates) on 22 April at 7pm.

The other quinta vintage Ports produced in 2019 – Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos, Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim, Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha and Cockburn’s Quinta dos Canais – will age in the Symington cellars for future release.