1997 Smith Woodhouse, 3-bottle Lot

Smith Woodhouse was founded in 1784 by Christopher Smith, who was at the time the Lord Mayor of London. Smith wanted to import Port from Douro, Portugal, to England. In the early 19th century the Woodhouse brothers joined as business partners and the company enjoyed strong sales and an excellent reputation until the mid-20th century. In 1970 the Symington family bought the company along with several other traditional Port producers, including Graham’s. Smith Woodhouse makes a full line of ports, though it declares a vintage port only in exceptional years. Because Smith Woodhouse has limited production, it is not as well known to the public, though port reviewers typically give it very high ratings.

Portugal is best known for its two legendary fortified wines, Port and Madeira, but it also produces significant amounts of red and white table wine. In most years it ranks around the 10th or 11th largest wine producer in the world. In 2013, for instance, Portugal was the 11th largest producer just after Germany. Wine has always been produced in Portugal and in fact the country was the first to organize an appellation system, which it did in 1756, nearly 200 years before the French set up their appellations. The highest quality wines are labeled D.O.C. for Denominaçào de Origem Controlada. Many of the most innovative winemakers today, however, are avoiding the appellation system, which they deem too stifling for modern winemaking practices. The Douro Valley is the nation’s most important wine producing region, and it is the capital of Port production. The Portuguese island of Madeira, located 400 miles west of Morocco, is the nation’s other famous wine region, having produced Madeira for export for more than 400 years. Many red and white wine grapes grow in Portugal, though the best known is Touriga Nacional, the red grape used for Port and, increasingly, high quality table wines. Touriga Nacional produces dark, tannic, fruity wines.