Symington’s releases ‘revolutionary’ 1974 single harvest vintage tawny

Renowned port house Graham’s is to bottle six casks of its ‘revolutionary’ 1974 single harvest tawny port – the year of Portugal’s revolution – as part of its Cellar Master’s Trilogy collection.

Due to the uncertainty caused by the military-led coup that overthrew the authoritarian government in 1974, the Symington family decided not to bottle and release any Vintage Port from the 1974 harvest, choosing to long-age the top wines from Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos in seasoned oak casks instead. However the initial concerns of port producers in the Douro Valley were largely unrealised, and the harvest was uninterrupted by unrest. Michael Symington, 3^rd generation port producer, noted at the time that “the overall 1974 port wine vintage must prove to be one of the best for many years.”

As part of the Graham’s Cellars Master’s Trilogy, the 1974 vintage will be sold alongside the The Apprentice – 1994 and The Master – 1940, replacing the 1963 Single Harvest Tawny whose last remaining cask has been released.

Head winemaker Charles Symington said it was an emotional moment deciding to bottle an extraordinary wine that had such historical significance which has been quietly ageing in the cellars for nearly fifty years.

“ The 1974 Single Harvest Tawny was able to stay the course where other wines would not have been able to. This is testament to the quality of the original fruit and the skilled care and attention that the wine has received since,” he said.

The tasting notes describe a “remarkable wine” that displays complex dried fruit aromas with subtle caramel, vanilla and ginger notes. “The palate is silky and elegant, with a zest of soft, tingling tannins which continue to underpin the structure and the wine’s vitality,” it said.