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The Portuguese port wine pioneer James Symington has died at the age of 86. The founder of Symington Family Estates and owner of the port producers Warre's, Dow's and Graham's was considered one of the leading figures in the development of the port wine industry in the Duoro Valley for more than 40 years. Born in 1934, he lived with his parents in Canada for two years during the Second World War, and later trained in Lisbon and Yorkshire, UK. He joined the British Army in 1954, was stationed in Kenya for a long time and soon spoke fluent Swahili there.
1960 he started to work in the family owned port wine house. He was responsible for the production of the legendary 1966 and 1970 vintages of port wine for the Dow's and Warre's brands and 1970 for Graham's. He became increasingly involved in exports and foreign markets and founded an import company for premium port in San Francisco in 1985. Since 1992 Symington has been a member of the Premium Familiae Vini winery association. The company is still family owned and managed by his descendants.
(uka / photo: Symington Estates)