Dow's

Bruno da Silva founded the company that would become Dow in 1798. Unlike his British colleagues who moved to Portugal, da Silva came from Portugal and set up his offices in London. From there, he built his business into a major brand. Even the outbreak of the Napoleonic wars did not slow the flow of Port wine. Da Silva applied to the Crown for help, making him the only shipper with armed protection for the 1000-mile journey from Porto.

In 1862, Bruno's son John partnered with William Cosens and the company was renamed Silva & Cosens. In 1868, George Warre joined the company, and in 1877, they merged with highly regarded Dow & Co. Andrew James Symington was already a partner at Warre & Co by the time he joined Edward da Silva, George Warre, and James R. Dow at Dow's in 1912. Over the next five generations, Symington Family Estates would remain at the helm of Dow's while acquiring Warre's, Graham's, Cockburn's, Smith Woodhouse, and Quinta do Vesuvio, among several lesser-known labels.

Although it sounds like a lot of wine comes from the same company, each house has its own quintas (estates) with vineyards across many terroirs, house styles, and winemakers. Dow's produces legendary drier Vintage Port in declared years and single-estate Vintage Ports from Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira in non-declared but good years. There are only a few Vintage Ports per decade, but Dow's has so many styles that you never have to be with an LBV, Ruby, Tawny, or Colheita.