Dow’s is leading the global secondary market for the last four Vintage Port declarations, with Dow’s 2007, 2011, 2016 & 2017 outperforming other port producers according to Wine- Searcher data.
In particular, the 2007 and 2011 have increased in value by over 200% and 300% respectively since originally offered en primeur, consolidating its position as a market indicator for Port.
Dow’s is a historical Port house with more than 200 years experience of producing traditional Port in Portugal. It currently owns four vineyards in Douro Valley of northern Portugal, which was renowned as the “birthplace of Port”.
Since 1961, Dow’s has been owned by Symington Family Estates, a renowned premium port producer in Portugal. Established in 1882, Symington Family Estates now owns 26 Quintas in the Douro, spanning 2,462 hectares of vineyard.
According to wine-searcher.com data from January 2017 to 2022, the average global retail price per bottle of Dow’s 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2017 Vintage Ports have significantly outperformed its 7 key competitors’ vintage Port offerings including Noval, Fonseca, Taylor’s, Graham’s, Niepoort, Warre’s and Croft.
From January 2021 to 2022, the average price for Dow’s 2007 Vintage Port was €124, while the offerings of 2007 vintage from Dow’s competitors ranged from €62 to €100.
Dow’s 2011 Vintage Port was priced at €204 on average over the same period, a great price gap from the same vintage offered by its competitors with an average price ranging from €68 to €112.
The wines are sold in Hong Kong and mainland China via Links Concept.
The most significant price growth of Dow’s Vintage Port is seen on the 2007 and 2011 vintage, which rose more than 200% and 300% in value respectively since they were offered en primeur.
The limited availability of Dow’s Vintage Ports is one of the reasons contributing to the price growth, with the 2007 and 2011 edition only produced for 6,200 cases and 5,000 cases respectively.
The renown of Dow’s historical vineyards in Douro and the winemaking skills of the Symington Family also led Dow’s Vintage Port to be recognised by prestigious wine critics and publications.
In 2014, Wine Spectator selected Dow’s 2011 Vintage Port as top 10 wine of the year, lauding it as “a monument to quality and the modernization of the Douro.”
Dow’s Vintage Port is produced from two estates, namely Quinta do Bomfim and Senhora da Ribeira. In particular, Senhora da Ribeira is important to the production of Vintage Port as it has the highest percentage of old vines aged over 25 years old.
According to Charles Symington, the Head Winemaker of the Symington Family’s fourth generation, Senhora da Ribeira was once sold by the family when Dow’s faced economic hardship in the post World War II years. But the family eventually bought it back in 1998 and has shown great dedication in improving the vineyards and wineries since then.
“The release and incredibly positive response to Dow’s 2007 & 2011 Vintage Ports were crucial moments for our family and a great reward for everyone’s hard work. Our great grandfather Andrew James, who started farming both estates in 1912, would have been proud to see Dow’s leading the Vintage Port category today,” Symington said.
