Taylor’s Port

Douro Valley, Portugal

Founded in 1692 by Job Bearsley in northern Portugal, Taylor’s Port has remained entirely dedicated to quality Port production throughout its history.

In a nutshell: Nestled among the lodges and cellars of Oporto, Taylor’s is one of the oldest of the founding Port Houses. Still family-managed to this day, Taylor’s is committed to producing only the finest Port wines of quality and character. Noted for their elegance and poise, as well as for their restrained power and longevity, Taylor’s Vintage Ports are blended from the finest wines of Taylor’s own quintas: Quinta da Vargellas, Quinta de Terra Feita and Quinta do Junco. These three iconic properties, each with its distinct geographic location and character are the source of Taylor’s inimitable house style. Taylor’s is also respected as a producer of wood aged ports and holds one of the most extensive reserves of rare cask aged wines. The house is also known as the originator of Late Bottled Vintage, a style which the firm pioneered. Taylor’s pioneered Chip Dry White Port which has been an industry leader since its introduction in 1934.

At Vargellas, and at Taylor’s two other Douro Valley estates, protection of the environment and the ecological well-being of the region are paramount. New terraces are planted specifically to avoid topsoil erosion. The absence of herbicides allows natural vegetal growth on the banks to encourage biodiversity, and the distribution of vines throughout the vineyard is critical to ensure they can thrive naturally. These efforts saw Taylor’s awarded the BES Biodiversity Prize in recognition of their conservation and sustainability efforts.

The terroir: The Douro Valley is a dramatic landscape of steep hillsides and deep valleys. Taylor’s iconic properties are classed as Grade A quality vineyards and the soil in which the vines are planted is made up of schist, a slate-like metamorphic rock. Rich in nutrients, it has also has useful water retention properties allowing the vines to prevail in the arid summer conditions.

The Taylor’s ‘personality’: A premium Port industry benchmark, known internationally for Ports of refined structure and elegance.