SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., JANUARY 17, 2023 – In celebration of its bicentennial year, leading Port house W. & J. Graham’s is pleased to offer a special lot that features a collection of world-renowned Ports in a specially designed piece of cabinet furniture at the annual Naples Winter Wine Festival Live Auction on February 4th at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida. The collection is presented in a cabinet made from rare santos rosewood by Portuguese master-joiners WeWood. Each wine has been carefully selected by members of the 3, 4 and 5th generations of the Symington family – Port producers since 1882 and owners of Graham’s since 1970. Proceeds from the Festival benefit the Naples Children & Education Foundation, whose vision is to make a profound and sustaining difference in the quality of children’s lives.
Symington Family Estates’ Lot #17, titled “A Timeless Toast to Portugal’s Sweet Success,” features a Bicentenary Collection Cabinet filled with a collection of Graham’s Vintage Port and vintage dated Tawny Ports. The Bicentenary Collection is comprised of six Single Harvest Tawny Ports and six classic Vintage Ports, including wines from 1963, 1994 and 2011, which have been hailed as some of the greatest declarations of the last two centuries. All the Vintage Ports have been aged in impeccable conditions in Graham’s cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia and the Single Harvest Tawny Ports have been selected and bottled specifically for the Bicentenary Collection, including two from 2000 and 2006 that have never been released before. The 1982 Single Harvest Tawny was first bottled to mark the birth of HRH Prince George of Cambridge. The 2000 Single Harvest Tawny was the first Port made with the Symington family’s revolutionary modern treading lagares – a huge innovation for the Port trade.
The Lot also includes a once-in-a-lifetime six-night trip for two couples to explore Porto and the Douro Valley and its renowned Ports followed by a visit to the island of Madeira. Highlights in Porto include a private tasting and tour of Graham’s historic Port lodge followed by two nights in the Douro Valley where the winner will enjoy overnight stays at the family’s private residences at Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos and Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim and exclusive tours of the vineyards with the winemaker. The last three nights of the trip will be in Madeira at Belmond’s Reid’s Palace, serving as a home base to explore the island and taste its famous fortified wines.
“We are delighted to offer such a once in a lifetime special lot that reflects the illustrious history of Graham’s and the unparalleled excellence of the wines. Whoever is fortunate enough to take our lot home will be gaining more than a custom cabinet of wines, but also a true taste of this very special place that we call home.” Rupert Symington, CEO Symington Family Estates
This special lot is now available for viewing on the Naples Winter Wine Festival website, along with details about tickets for the 2023 events.
ABOUT GRAHAM’S PORT
W & J Graham’s was founded in Porto in 1820. Renowned worldwide for producing outstanding Vintage Ports, Graham’s also produces a range of Aged Tawny Ports, Late Bottled Vintage, Reserve and Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Ports. Graham’s growing success in the 19th Century resulted in the acquisition of the famous Quinta dos Malvedos in the Alto Douro and in the construction of the imposing Graham’s 1890 Lodge. Overlooking the city of Porto, the Graham’s Lodge houses over 3,500 seasoned oak casks, numerous large oak vats, an extensive Vintage Port cellar and Vinum – one of Porto’s leading restaurants. Granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment from Her Majesty The Queen in 2017, Graham’s is owned by Symington Family Estates.
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ABOUT SYMINGTON FAMILY ESTATES
The Symingtons of Scottish, English and Portuguese descent have been Port producers in northern Portugal since 1882. For five generations they have combined their passion for producing fine wines and Ports with a deep commitment to the region’s land and people. Today, ten Symingtons work across their four Port houses: Graham’s, Cockburn’s, Dow’s and Warre’s, as well as their Douro wine brands – Quinta do Vesuvio, Quinta do Ataíde, Altano and Prats & Symington (of Chryseia fame). In 2017 they launched a new venture, Quinta da Fonte Souto, in the Alto Alentejo. Symington Family Estates is a leading premium Port producer and the leading vineyard owners in the Douro valley, with 26 Quintas covering 2,462 hectares and 1,114 ha of vineyard. All their vineyards are sustainably managed under a minimum intervention certification and 130 ha are organically farmed, the largest area of organic vineyard in northern Portugal. The family has invested significantly in viticulture R&D to adapt to climate change and have an ambitious sustainability plan, with a series of goals under the banner of Mission 2025. In 2019 the company became a certified B Corporation – the first wine company in Portugal to take this step – joining a global community of businesses audited for the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility, committed to using business as a force for good.
ABOUT NAPLES WINTER WINE FESTIVAL
Proceeds from the Naples Winter Wine Festival benefit the Naples Children & Education Foundation, whose vision is to make a profound and sustaining difference in the quality of children’s lives. NCEF is committed to supporting charitable programs that improve the physical, emotional and educational lives of underprivileged and at-risk children in Collier County. Since its inception in 2001, the Naples Winter Wine Festival has raised nearly $244 million for children in need. For more information, visit their website.
