2024 Vintage Port declarations are starting

[Glenn E.]

As you might recall, the beneficio for 2024 was 90,000 pipes.

Via Instagram, Sogrape has announced 2024 VP declarations for Sandeman and Ferreira

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVgBO-dltG5/?img_index=1

[Andy Velebil]

Niepoort just declared their VP today.

[Paul C. Metman]

According to Vinho Grandes Escolhas Ramos Pinto declared a Ramos Pinto Vintage Port 2024 and a Quinta da Ervamoira Vintage Port 2024

[Roy Hersh]

While not YET official, Churchill's will be declaring their classic Churchill's 2024 Vintage Port, as well as their Quinta da Gricha 2024 VP, from predominantly old vines in that vineyard. They will make their declaration in a few weeks, on a specific day in April, to coincide with the birthday of the late Anthony Graham, (who passed in 2025) and was Johnny's eldest brother.

After previewing four of the past five vintages: 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 with thorough reports of those vintages, I had reasons for passing up 2023, and plan to review both excellent vintages of 2024 and 2025. I am excited to see the difference between these two years, very different to say the least. But both considered of extraordinary quality with some in the trade that have strong opinions on which is better. Regardless of that, I look forward to tasting as many as possible.

I have already been in contact with a few producers, and will try to obtain dozens of VPs from 2024 this year and do my BLIND tastings after this year's harvest, when cooler temperatures prevail and even those that declare late in the game, will have been willing to provide certified final bottlings.

[Andy Velebil]

2024 Ramos Pinto and Quinta de Evramoira announced.

[Andy Velebil]

The Symington Family has officially announced their 2024’s.
Warre
Dow’s
Cockburn’s
Quinta do Vesuvio
Capela do Vesuvio
Graham’s
Graham’s Stone Terrace
And per Richard Mason, a bit of;
Quinta de Roriz
Smith Woodhouse

[Roy Hersh]

Here was the announcement:


SYMINGTON FAMILY DECLARES 2024 VINTAGE PORTS

The family’s first classic Vintage Port declaration in seven years marks a return to classical Douro harmony, with wines defined by remarkable elegance.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – April 14, 2026 - Symington Family Estates, a five-generation producer of world-renowned Ports and premium wines, has declared their 2024 Vintage Ports. After reviewing the best wines made in 2024 from across their Douro estates, the family felt compelled to take the rare decision to make a classic Vintage Port from each of their port houses – Dow's, Graham's, Warre's, Cockburn's, and single estate, Quinta do Vesúvio, together with their two micro-terroir Vintage Ports – Graham's The Stone Terraces and Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio. Different expressions of one exceptional vintage, each faithful to the signature character of its house and the estates that define it.

Charles Symington, Head Winemaker and Joint Managing Director, commented: “The harvests from 2018 to 2023 were marked by challenging growth cycles. We made some great wines, but they weren't classic. We drew on the multi-generational experience of our vineyards, we adapted, and we innovated. We also waited. After seven years, 2024 delivered what we hoped for but couldn't force – the return of a classic Douro vintage. These are the wines that our family have always aspired to create in any given vintage since 1882. And we made the very best of it that we could.”

Following a succession of harvests marked by prolonged heatwaves and erratic rainfall, 2024 saw the return of an old-style Douro vintage with more typical conditions, producing wines of remarkable elegance and precision. The key barometer for a great Douro vintage rests on the performance of the Touriga Nacional and the late-ripening Touriga Franca, with both reaching their apex in 2024.

Symington continues: “The 2024 Vintage Ports whisper rather than shout. After years of heat-driven power, these wines are characterized by their precision: taut structures wrapped in pure, crystalline fruit. This is Douro elegance with backbone, and refinement with staying power. It was worth the wait.”

The Symington family are committed to only making their classic Vintage Ports in the most exceptional years – which has typically been 2–3 times a decade over the last 144 years that they have made wine in the Douro. The seven years between the 2024 and 2017 Vintage Port declarations is the longest since WWII, when there was generally no Vintage Port made between 1935-1945.

In addition to the family’s principal Vintage Ports, they will also make a small quantity of Smith Woodhouse and Quinta de Roriz 2024 Vintage Port.

The Symington family will be presenting their 2024 Vintage Ports at a series of special trade and media events May 5-7 in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.2024 Vintage Port Declaration



Graham’s 2024 Vintage Port
Made from Graham’s four estates across the Douro Valley, with Quinta dos Malvedos being the cornerstone. Fabulously opulent and seductive, with polished tannins and bright acidity.
Production: 5,935 cases (9L) – 15% of Graham’s total vineyard production in 2024
Grape Varieties: Touriga Nacional 55%, Touriga Franca 30%, Old Vines 9%, Sousão 6%



Graham’s The Stone Terraces 2024 Vintage Port
Made from two low-yielding vineyards of just under three hectares laid out on magnificent stone terraces at Quinta dos Malvedos. 2024 is only the sixth vintage of this extraordinary wine.
Production: 520 cases (9L) – just 2% of the total production at Quinta dos Malvedos in 2024



Dow’s 2024 Vintage Port
The combination of the finest wines from Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira gives this 2024 the peppery concentration and powerful structure that Dow’s is known for.
Production: 5,535 cases (9L) – 17% of Dow's total vineyard production in 2024
Grape Varieties: Touriga Franca 40%, Touriga Nacional 35%, Old Vines 15%, Alicante Bouschet 10%



Warre’s 2024 Vintage Port
Shaped by its high-altitude vineyards with their large proportion of old vines, the 2024 Warre’s offers a unique combination of floral elegance and multilayered concentration.
Production: 4,280 cases (9L) – 13.5% of Warre’s total vineyard production in 2024
Grape Varieties: Touriga Franca 38%, Old Vines 34%, Touriga Nacional 17%, Sousão 11%



Cockburn’s 2024 Vintage Port
This wine is characterised by Cockburn’s signature palate of red fruits combined with a structured grip leading to a long, drying finish – born from the Canais estate in the warmer eastern Douro.
Production: 2,980 cases (9L) – 7.5% of Cockburn's total vineyard production in 2024
Grape Varieties: Touriga Nacional 63%, Touriga Franca 24%, Alicante Bouschet 9%, Sousão 4%



Quinta do Vesúvio 2024 Vintage Port
Made using the centuries-old method of foot-treading in granite lagares at this magnificent estate, the 2024 Vesúvio combines complexity and refinement.
Production: 1,510 cases (9L) – 4% of Vesúvio’s total vineyard production in 2024.
Grape Varieties: Touriga Franca 47%, Touriga Nacional 30%, Alicante Bouschet 13%, Sousão 10%



Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio 2024 Vintage Port
An exceptional expression of a few special vineyards at the iconic Vesúvio. 2024 produced wines with the power, structure and refinement required to make this micro-terroir Vintage Port.
Production: 430 cases (9L) – 1% of Quinta do Vesúvio’s total vineyard production in 2024



Smith Woodhouse 2024 Vintage Port
Smith Woodhouse Vintage Ports are sourced from one of the Douro's finest areas, the Rio Torto Valley, with the 2024 delivering the signature floral elegance and excellent structure.
Production: 1,270 cases (9L)
Grape Varieties: Touriga Franca 40%, Touriga Nacional 30%, Old Vines 30%



Quinta de Roriz 2024 Vintage Port
Quinta de Roriz is one of the oldest estates in the Douro, with Vintage Ports characterized by structure, balance, and a distinctive minerality influenced by tin and gold tailings at the property.
Production: 360 cases (9L)

[Glenn E.]

Graham’s The Stone Terraces 2024 Vintage Port
Made from two low-yielding vineyards of just under three hectares laid out on magnificent stone terraces at Quinta dos Malvedos. 2024 is only the sixth vintage of this extraordinary wine.
Production: 520 cases (9L) – just 2% of the total production at Quinta dos Malvedos in 2024

Given everything I'd heard about the vintage, I was really hoping this would happen. Time to start planning my aquisitions!

[Eric Menchen]

SYMINGTON FAMILY DECLARES 2024 VINTAGE PORTS ...

I'm surprised to see so much Alicante Bouschet listed. I'm quite familiar with the grape (Mouchão!), but I've never seen it come up on lists of the 5 or 6 most common grapes used in Vintage Port.

[Glenn E.]

SYMINGTON FAMILY DECLARES 2024 VINTAGE PORTS ...

I'm surprised to see so much Alicante Bouschet listed. I'm quite familiar with the grape (Mouchão!), but I've never seen it come up on lists of the 5 or 6 most common grapes used in Vintage Port.

I'm pretty sure that there is Alicante Boushet in Graham's The Stone Terraces even though they didn't call it out in this announcement.

Quinta dos Malvedos.png (151.34 KiB) Viewed 6287 times

Vinhos dos Cardenhos and Port Arthur (the two left-most red arrows I've added) are the two old stone terraces most commonly described as being The Stone Terraces, but you might note that both of those are listed as being Touriga Nacional. It isn't legal to make a single-varietal Port, so there has to be something else included. Granted, those 2 blocks might have some other vines mixed in and just be majority Touriga Nacional, but that doesn't seem like something the Symingtons would do. They'd either do it as a full block, or it'd be a total field blend. So I suspect that those are, in fact, full blocks of Touriga Nacional.

Conveniently, right across the ravine to the East of Port Arthur, are a block of Sousao and a block of... Alicante Bouschet. If you keep going up the hill, you get to a block of Touriga Franca. These are also steep stone terraces, so even if not the ones commonly listed it wouldn't surprise me even a little bit if grapes from those blocks are used to make The Stone Terraces.

[Andy Velebil]

SYMINGTON FAMILY DECLARES 2024 VINTAGE PORTS ...

I'm surprised to see so much Alicante Bouschet listed. I'm quite familiar with the grape (Mouchão!), but I've never seen it come up on lists of the 5 or 6 most common grapes used in Vintage Port.

It’s replacing another grape variety that’s apparently not doing so well these days.

[Glenn E.]

I accidentally reversed 2 of the colors... in this picture, purple is Vinhos dos Cardenhos (north of the house) and Port Arthur (south and east of the house).

Blue is then a block of Sousao, brown is the block of Alicante Bouchet, and green is a block of Touriga Franca. Most of what's above the road is also Touriga Franca.

The pink outline is a small block of field blend.

The Stone Terraces.png (2.88 MiB) Viewed 6269 times

[Eric Menchen]

It’s replacing another grape variety that’s apparently not doing so well these days.

That makes some sense given that it was developed to work in warmer climates as I recall.

[Andy Velebil]

Kopke and Burmester have declared their 2024’s

[Andy Velebil]

Churchill’s has today as well.

[Andy Velebil]

Taylor’s
Fonseca
Croft
Taylor Sentinal

Quinta de la Rosa as well

[Andy Velebil]

Ferreira as well.

I’d say it’s a “general” declaration at this point.

[Roy Hersh]

From The Fladgate Partnership:

As tradition has it, we have chosen St George’s Day to make the announcement, as it marks 35 years since we first used this exact date to publicly declare a Vintage.

For us, this association with St George’s Day has become a cherished tradition, symbolising consistency, heritage and the trust that both trade and consumers place in our Vintage selections.

I’m pleased to share that Fladgate Family Wines has officially declared the year 2024 as Classic Vintage, as well as releasing a small bottling of Taylor Fladgate Sentinels.

This is a particularly special declaration, reflecting an outstanding harvest that captures the character of the Douro and the heritage of our Port Wine Houses.

Attached you will find our press release, which includes details on the decision, the profile of the vintage, and quotes from Adrian Bridge, CEO and David Guimaraens, Head Winemaker.

____________________________________________________________

In one hour, I am on my way to The Yeatman Hotel, to taste all of these for the first time. Looking forward to this quite a bit!


I already have received ALL of the bottles from the Symingtons for 2024.

Additionally, I was with Johnny Graham the other night and he told me they are also releasing their 2024 VPs, in what used to be called, "a generally declared vintage" a name from a bygone era, now referred to as "Classic" for obvious reasons.

[Andy Velebil]

Sandeman have also just announced.

Today is announcement day for many it seems.

[Glenn E.]

I’d say it’s a “general” declaration at this point.

I think that was to be expected, given what I'd heard about the vintage and the fact that it's been... what, 7 years since the last true "general" declaration?