The difference between Malvedos and Quinta dos Malvedos Port

[Axel P]

Since there will be Quinta dos Malvedos Ports out soon, the question about the difference between a Malvedos and a Quinta dos Malvedos Port arouse. The Symingtons bought Grahams in 1970, but sold Malvedos right away to re-buy it in the 80s. So how can there be a Grahams Malvedos 1979? Here is the answer from the family (Dominic Symington):

My family did indeed purchase Graham’s & Quinta dos Malvedos in 1970. We subsequently sold the Quinta but maintained a contract to purchase all the Port and sell under the Quinta name. After a few years in the early 1980’s we bought the Quinta back.

Historically Malvedos was a small Quinta although it always made up a large part of Graham’s Vintage Port. It was as a Quinta, quite small. The Malvedos Port was made from the Quinta and a number of immediately surrounding properties therefore the use of Malvedos as a brand and not as a Single Quinta.

As soon as we repurchased the Quinta we immediately started, whenever possible to buy the surrounding vineyards and therefore progressively expand the property although we continued to also use some grapes (Ports) in the lot made from vineyards that did not belong to us.

In 1986 the Quinta had expanded to essentially its current size and by this time had incorporated all the traditional neighbors who had in the past supplied grapes or Port for the Malvedos blend although we continued to call the wine “Malvedos† it was from this date effectively a real “Single Quinta† under one integrated ownership.

Last year we decided to finally change the labels and actually incorporate the word Quinta into the label.

Throughout time “Malvedos† has always been the same, the only change being that the vineyards that traditionally supplied Malvedos Port had by 1986 all been bought and consolidated inside one Quinta, Malvedos.

Therefore although the labels have indeed changed the vineyards & grapes have always been the same, it was just that in the past the vineyards did not all belong to Malvedos or Graham’s. Since 1986 all the vineyards that supply Graham’s Malvedos or Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos have been owned by my family. The vineyards haven’t changed, only the ownership of the land!

Muito obrigado, Dominic for this very interesting answer.

Axel

[DRT]

Interesting. I knew that it was once made from wines from a number of different properties but didn't know that those properties had subsequently been purchased and incorporated into the Quinta.

We could do with more of this here I think.

Thanks to Dominic and Axel for this.

Derek

[RonnieRoots]

Thanks very much for posting this. An interesting read!

[uncle tom]

Interesting bit of history!

Tom

[RonnieRoots]

Tom, do you realise that, with that post, you crossed the barrier of 10,000 posts on this forum?

[Luc]

I'll drink to that !! ( 1971 Q. DO NOVAL Colheita )

[Michael M.]

Hi Axel,

ein kurzer Hinweis dazu:
Godfrey Spence beschreibt es in seinem Buch "Portwein" ganz gut. Der Rückkauf der Quinta erfolgte nach seinen Angaben im Jahr 1982. Während die Symingtons sich mit dem Erwerb von Graham von der Quinta trennten, blieben die Rechte des Markennamens "Malvedos" bei ihnen. Auf Seite 124 der deutschen Übersetzung (1999) schreibt Spence außerdem: "Malvedos 1984. Da der Wein nicht "Quinta dos Malvedos" heißt, kann es sich um einen Verschnitt mit Weinen anderer Güter handeln." Quinta dos Malvedos ist demgemäß der SQVP, Malvedos der Zweit-VP von Graham. Übrigens: Axel und Bibiana Behrend irren in ihrem Buch "Portwein (2. Aufl., 1996) offensichtlich, wenn sie auf Seite 107 den Malvedos Vintage 1984 als ersten "Single Quinta von Malvedos" bezeichnen.

Viele Grüße
Michael