The company was founded by brothers William and John Graham in 1820 with the ambition of making exceptional port wines. They rapidly became one of the most highly regarded producers and their success culminated in 1890 with the building of the famous Graham’s Lodge in Gaia and the acquisition of Quinta dos Malvedos. Situated high on a promontory overlooking the river, Malvedos is one of the finest vineyards in the Douro Valley and is a cornerstone of both Graham’s Vintage Ports and Single Harvest Tawny Ports. This property has been at the heart of such legendary Graham’s Vintages as the 1944, 1948, 1963, 1970 and, more recently, the 2000, 2007, 2011 and 2016.

 

In 1882, Andrew James Symington sailed from Scotland to Porto to work for the Graham family, thus beginning his family’s long association with this famous house. Although he left Graham’s shortly after to establish his own port business, his grandsons acquired the company from the Graham family in 1970 when it was offered for sale. Since then, the Symington family have further developed and consolidated Graham’s reputation for producing superb ports, starting with the 1970 Vintage they made in the year they bought the company.