Churchill's Port is a

port wine Port wine (, ; ), or simply port, is a Portuguese wine, Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro, Douro Valley of Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal. It is typically a sweetness of wine, sweet red wine, often served with dessert wine, ...

company based in

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, founded in 1981 by John Graham, who named the company after his wife, Caroline Churchill. The company targets the British market with small quantities of distinctive wines including vintage-dated ports, late bottled vintage port (LBV), finest reserve and the wines known as "Churchill's Estates" which developed to include 10- and 20-year-old

tawny port Port wine (, ; ), or simply port, is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. ...

Origins

Churchill's Port was founded in 1981 by John (Johnny) Graham and his two brothers Anthony and William of the Graham's Port family who have produced wine from the Douro Valley for over 200 years. He arrived in

in 1973 and since his family had sold their family port business to the

Symington Family Estates Symington Family Estates is a wine company and port wine house in Portugal, which owns and operates several vineyards and winery, wineries and owns several brands of Port, Madeira wine and Douro DOC wines, including some of the oldest and most wel ...

three years earlier, he began his career in the port business by working for Cockburn's Port House, eventually becoming a director by the age of 28. Unable to use the family name, he founded a new company named "Churchill Graham, Lda", after his wife Caroline Churchill. It was the first Port company established for 50 years. He also worked for

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) ...

's and rented their lodge in

Vila Nova de Gaia Vila Nova de Gaia (; ), or simply Gaia, is a city and a municipality in Porto District in Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region, Portugal. It is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper had a populati ...

, where their port is stored. By 1999, sourcing the best grapes became a problem following the death of wine maker Borges de Sousa, who had given Churchill the first pick of grapes from their vineyards for almost 20 years. As a result, Churchill's looked to buy their own vineyard. Rather than look to the north bank of the

Douro The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...

, where their previous grapes had been sourced, they purchased a 100-hectare property, Quinta da Gricha, on the south bank adjacent to Roriz in the Cima Corgo. They then bought the 12-hectare Quinto do Rio in the Torro valley.

Range of wine

Eleven vintages have been declared since its first in 1982. Churchill's range includes vintage-dated ports and vintage port from the Quinto do Rio in the Torro valley, finest reserve, and the wines known as "Churchill's Estates" which developed to include 10 and 20-year old

s. They also offer a

white port Port wine (, ; ), or simply port, is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. O ...

Production

To avoid the bitterness of broken pips, they use traditional methods of production, such as

grape treading Grape-treading or grape-stomping is part of the method of Maceration (wine), maceration used in traditional wine-making.Clarke, Oz (2009). ''Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2010.'' Sterling Publishing Company, Cheap, BA (2010). ''Mr. Cheap's Guide ...

with feet. Natural fermentation is employed and in addition, they use only small amounts of

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

. Aimed at the British market, Churchill's have been noted for their small quantities of characteristic wines. Since its first year of production, Churchill's has declared 11 vintages.

Other activities

Johnny Graham's son Max, later founded Churchill's Port House, at 26 Greek Street, London.

References

External links

{{commonscat
Official website
Wineries of Portugal Port wine Companies established in 1981