Founded in 1798 over two centuries ago, Dow’s was the first British Port producer to invest extensively in premium vineyards, acquiring Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira in 1890 and Quinta do Bomfim in 1896. These superb vineyards are fundamental to the outstanding reputation that Dow’s has long enjoyed. In 1912, Andrew James Symington became a partner in Dow’s, and today six members of the family own and work in the company; Peter, Paul, Johnny, Dominic, Rupert and Charles. The family personally manages all aspects of winemaking from vineyard to the final bottling of the wine.
 

The Symingtons can trace their ancestors as Port producers back four generations to Andrew James Symington who came to Oporto in 1882, but back thirteen generations through their great grandmother, Beatrice Atkinson, to Walter Maynard who shipped 39 pipes of Port in 1652. A unique record in the history of Port. “Rating Portugal’s producers of Port…Dow Five Star ***** (Outstanding)” Robert Parker, Parker’s Wine Buying Guide, Sixth Edition 2003


 

Dow’s Vintage Ports are powerful and austere when young. They age superbly with great purity of style. Dow’s has a firm tannic structure with spicy black-pepper and bitter chocolate flavours. The aromas are of violets when young, maturing into cinnamon with age. Dow’s Vintage Ports develop a superb racy elegance with maturity. Dows’ Vintage Port style particularly suits the years when the grapes are very ripe and generous. While other Ports become over-sweet in these years, Dows’ balances the richness with its characteristic dryness.
 

The exquisite Dow 1896 is a legendary Vintage Port, together with the Dow 1900, 1908, 1927 and 1945, they are amongst the greatest Ports ever made. More recently Dow’s 1955, 1966, 1980 & 2003 have further enhanced the company’s fame and are some of the very finest wines produced in these years.
 

Dow’s leading position is reflected in its wide distribution, spread over 50 different countries worldwide. Leading premium producer – 56% of sales are of premium quality port compared to the industry average of just 18%.
 

Dow’s has five of the finest vineyards in the Douro valley – Quinta do Bomfim, Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira, Quinta do Santinho*, Quinta de Cerdeira* & Quinta da Fonte Branca*– with a total of 133 hectares under vine. These five estates form the backbone of Dow’s greatest Ports. Three wineries, two large ‘state of the art’ wineries at Bomfim and Sol and one small ‘specialist’ winery at Senhora da Ribeira, permit Dow’s to be the largest buyer of premium quality grapes in the Douro and represent a unique investment in diversified and specialised winemaking for the pursuit of quality. * privatley owned by members of the Symington family.
 

In 2002, Dow’s introduced a radical new Port ‘Midnight’, a special blend of fresh, full bodied and fruit driven wines. Midnight’s new and radical label was designed to appeal to the new generation of wine drinkers and to change people’s perceptions of Port. Dow’s is a key innovator in winemaking technology, having pioneered the design and production of the unique robotic lagares.
The Wines For over two hundred years Dow’s Ports with their distinctive dry finish have been considered as being amongst the finest ever produced.

“The Vintage Ports of Dow are some of the most consistently well-made Ports available”.
James Suckling, Vintage Port