has officially declared the 2007 vintage. Each of its eight long-established independent Port houses, W. & J. Graham's, Dow's, Smith Woodhouse, Quinta do Vesuvio, Warre's, Gould Campbell, Quarles Harris and Martinez will offer a very limited amount of 2007 Vintage Port, which will become available in the United States this summer.

Rupert Symington, Joint Managing Director, comments, "The 2007 viticultural year was characterized by unusually cool growing conditions in the Douro, and was undoubtedly one of the best years we have ever seen for Touriga Nacional, a variety that can suffer from excessive heat. Leading up to the vintage, a long unbroken period of sunshine ensured beautifully balanced fruit ripening and picking took place on our vineyards under the finest possible conditions."

Vintage Port is a rare wine - less than two percent of all Port made in any year is awarded this distinction. Furthermore, a vintage is declared only when the harvested grapes and resulting wines are truly exceptional, an event that, on average, only occurs about three times per decade. The last declaration was in 2005 for the highly praised 2003 vintage.

"Our 2007 Vintage Ports have the characteristic power, complexity and balance that guarantee they will improve for many decades to come," says Symington.

A Port shipper's decision to declare is typically made about 18 months after the harvest once the wines have been assessed and found worthy of carrying on the exacting standards of house tradition.

The Symington Family name has been associated with the finest Ports for over a century since Andrew James Symington arrived in Oporto in 1882. Today, with over 2,500 acres of vineyards, the fourth generation of the Symington Family has become the largest holder of top classified vineyards in the Douro Valley.

Symington Family Estates, the Oporto, Portugal, based wine company renowned for its Vintage Ports, is the oldest family owned Port shipper and the largest landholder in the Douro Valley with over 2,500 acres of vineyards with 22 quintas throughout the region. For more information on the company and its brands, please visit www.symington.com or our trade website, www.premiumport.com. For more information on Vintage Port, please visit www.thevintageportsite.com.

SOURCE Symington Family Estates