Graham's Launches Limited Edition Bicentenary Collection

In celebration of its bicentennial year, leading port house and Royal Warrant holder, Graham’s, has launched a collection of world-renowned ports in a specially designed piece of furniture. The project was due to be announced in 2020 but was postponed as a result of the pandemic.

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 the 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.

Each wine has been carefully selected by members of the 3rd, 4th and 5th generation of the Symington family – port producers since 1882 and owners of Graham’s since 1970. The collection is presented in a cabinet made from extremely rare santos rosewood by Portuguese master-joiners WeWood. The collection is completed by a hand-blown decanter and set of wine glasses produced by Jancis Robinson MW in partnership with celebrated British product designer Richard Brendon, an expert two-part Durand corkscrew designed for removing corks from mature and valuable fine wines, and a specially commissioned decanting funnel from family-run, Porto-based silversmiths Ourivesaria Coutinho.

The first edition of the Bicentenary Collection will be auctioned by Christie’s of London in December together with a VIP trip to Porto and the Douro. All proceeds will be divided between two charities –selected to reflect the Symington family’s origins – the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Santa Casa de Misericordia de Carrazeda. The remaining editions will be made-to-order. Customers can express interest in acquiring a Bicentenary Collection as of Tuesday 18th October. The first commissions will be delivered from January 2023.

“The release of the Bicentenary Collection has huge significance for us as a family business, marking not only the illustrious history of Graham’s and the unparalleled excellence of the wines, but our commitment to continuing to build on these foundations for many years to come. Each wine in the cabinet bears personal significance to a member of the third, fourth or fifth generation of our family, representing as they do the past, present, and future of our business.”
Johnny Symington – Chairman of Symington Family Estates

For further details and to watch a short film of the Bicentenary Collection, visit the Graham's website.