Graham’s was founded in Portugal in 1820 by two Scottish brothers William and John Graham and during the 19th century became one of the most highly regarded of all Port producers. Their success led to the building of the magnificent Graham’s Lodge in Gaia in 1890, and to the acquisition in the same year of the famous Quinta dos Malvedos, one of the finest vineyards in the Douro Valley. In 1882, Andrew James Symington, son of a Glaswegian father and Shetlander mother, sailed to Porto to work for Graham’s, thus beginning his family’s long association with this famous house. Although he left shortly after to establish his own Port house, his grandsons acquired the company when the Graham family offered it for sale in 1970. Today Graham’s owns the 85 hectare Malvedos estate together with its own small lagar winery, and the neighboring 22 hectare Quinta do Tua with its remarkable stone terraces. For nearly half a century, several members of the Symington family, whose heritage in Port dates back to the 17th century though Andrew’s Anglo-Portuguese wife, Beatriz Leitão de Carvalhosa Atkinson, have worked to enhance Graham’s superb Vintage Port reputation, whilst developing other famous Graham’s Ports such as Six Grapes, Late Bottled Vintage and the company’s exceptional Aged Tawny Ports.
