Graham's Vintage Port 2000

There can be few things quite as marvellous as savouring a glass of vintage port with a slab of rich, creamy stilton. It gives you a deep-seated satisfaction and seems to make your soul twinkle, as you savour their contrasting and brilliantly complementary flavours. And when it comes to choosing your Port, it’s good if you can get it from well-positioned vineyards (they couldn’t have been better), from a good producer (yep), from a classic vintage (it was perfect). This will give you the perfect resinous, ripe plum and cassis flavours that you want to off-set yer stilton. Marvellous.

The history of W&J Graham’s spans three centuries and, throughout that time, this acclaimed Port producer has remained an independent family business. The story of Graham’s is the story of two families, both of Scottish origin – the Grahams and the Symingtons – whose commitment to the making of memorable wines has earned for Graham’s a reputation as a leader in the production of outstanding Vintage Ports.

Bearing further testimony to the company’s successful growth was the construction of a magnificent new Port lodge, also in 1890, for the storage and maturing of the company’s wines in the best possible conditions. The lodge was built on an impressive scale, its sturdy granite walls still hold within them over 3,500 casks of Port as well as many large oak tunnels and extensive Vintage Port cellars. Erected on a commanding site in Vila Nova de Gaia, a short distance from the Atlantic Ocean, the Graham’s lodge enjoys magnificent views of the ancient city of Oporto across the River Douro. The temperate, maritime climate is ideally suited to the slow ageing of Port.

The 2000 came principally from Quinta dos Malvedos, Quinta dos Lages, Quinta da Vila Velha and Quinta de Vale de Malhadas vineyards. With all the indicators of a good vintage, namely excellent fruit quality, high sugar readings, ideal weather throughout picking, very low yields, purple colours already apparent from the beginning of fermentation, wonderful aromas from the musts and the low juice to skin ratio, 2000 was always set to be a good vintage.

Fermentation took place under near ideal conditions, with no cooling required, in fact a little heating was needed due to quite cool nights. The ideal fermentation temperatures produced wonderfully aromatic musts.