1987 Cockburn Quinta do Tua

Cockburn’s Port was founded in 1815 by Robert Cockburn, a Scot who served under the Duke of Wellington in the early 19th century wars between Britain and France. After the wars ended Cockburn returned to Portugal, where he had fought, and founded a Port estate. Other investors from Britain joined the company during the 19th century and in 1962 the company was sold to Harvey’s of Bristol. In 2010 it was sold to the Symingtons, the family dynasty that owns numerous Port estates. Cockburn has 642 acres in the upper Douro Valley and produces a portfolio of ruby, tawny and vintage Ports. It also makes a white Port.

Douro is Portugal’s most prestigious appellation, thanks to the fact that the country’s famous Port wines have always come from the Douro. Douro, the appellation, is named for the Douro River which runs through northern Portugal. The region is mountainous and rocky, with very poor soil and harsh weather conditions because of proximity to the Atlantic. Nevertheless, vineyards have always existed there on terraced parcels of land surrounded by walls to protect the vines from wind. Most of the famous Port makers have quintas, or estates, in this region. In recent decades the Douro has developed a reputation for table wines as well as Ports, and today there are two sub-appellations within the Douro, one for table wines and one for Port. Numerous grapes are allowed within the Douro, but the main red grapes grown are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo.) The main white grapes are Esgana Cao, Folgosado and Verdelho. Besides the historic connection to Port wines – which were highly coveted in England and other parts of Europe as early as the 17th century – the region is also home to Portugal’s best table wines, including Barca Velha.