Tesco Finest 10 Year Old Tawny Port

Expert Opinion

In the press...

"Made by the famous Symington family, owners of the port producers Warres, Dows and Grahams, this beautiful tawny port proves that this eminent style of wine is not just for Christmas. Drunk slightly chilled, it is the classiest of after-lunch tipples."

“Aged in oak for 10 years so its intense redness fades to an old brick colour and it begins to smell of raisins and caramel, this is delicious drunk chilled from the fridge after dinner. For a barbeque cocktail, take a chunk of orange and give it a good squeeze into a tumbler, add ice, about as much port as you would if you were making squash and top with tonic.”

Background

History

In 1784 Christopher Smith MP, later Lord Mayor of London and a wine merchant opened offices in Oporto to trade in Port. After his death in 1835, his sons were joined by the Woodhouse brothers of Bath and the partnership was formed. In 1970, Smith Woodhouse was acquired by the Symington family and today is 100% family owned and run, and enjoy an enviable reputation for excellent quality at reasonable price.

Winemaking details

Peter Symington

Regional info

Port takes its name from the city of Oporto in North Eastern Portugal, but is produced in the sheer terraced vineyards of the Douro River valley, further inland towards the Spanish border. Temperature range from 35 degrees C in the summer to below 0 in the winter; the rainfall can fall to drought conditions in summer - harsh conditions that lead to excellent concentration of fruit and produces wines of great power. The inaccessibility of the area means the vineyards are still tended and harvested by hand.