‘Worth the wait’: Douro winemakers declare 2024 vintage Ports
Port producers Symington Family Estates and Kopke Group are both celebrating 2024 vintage Ports – thanks to the year’s excellent weather conditions which followed several harvests sullied by intense heat and erratic rainfall.
After a series of harvests defined by long heatwaves and erratic rainfall, 2024 marked the return of climate conditions that are more typical for the Douro region – that is, warm days and cool nights in the growing season.
The winter months were mild and wet, followed by a warm spring and a hot, dry summer. Temperatures then softened throughout September, enabling a long, steady ripening period. Harvest began in late August under ideal conditions, with September’s stable weather allowing for gradual maturation and optimal picking conditions across all varieties and parcels.
Of course, this spelled good news for the region’s winemakers. Symington has now declared 2024 a classic bintage in Port.
Charles Symington, head winemaker and joint managing director, said: “The harvests from 2018 to 2023 were marked by challenging growth cycles.”
While he said that the family-run business made great wines, they “weren’t classic”. Symington continued: “We drew on multi-generational experience of our vineyards, we adapted, and we innovated.
“We also waited. After seven years, 2024 delivered what we hoped for but couldn’t force – the return of a classic Douro vintage. These are the wines that our family have always aspired to create in any given vintage since 1882. And we made the very best of it that we could.”
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But “it was worth the wait”: the 2024 Vintage Ports, according to Symington, “whisper rather than shout”, and are “characterised by precision”. This looks like “taut structures wrapped in pure, crystalline fruit. This is Douro elegance with backbone, and refinement with staying power.”
The Symington family only makes its classic Vintage Ports in years it considers to be exceptional. Typically, these have occurred two to three times a decade over the last 144 years of its winemaking history.
The seven years between the 2024 and 2017 Vintage Port declarations is the longest since WWII, when there was generally no Vintage Port made between 1935 and 1945.
As well as their principal Vintage Ports, the family will also make a small quantity of Smith Woodhouse and Quinta de Roriz 2024 Vintage Port.
Kopke Group, the world’s oldest Port house, has also declared two 2024 vintage ports from across its estates: Kopke Vintage 2024 and Burmester Vintage 2024.
The last Kopke and Burmester overall vintage ports were both declared for the 2020 growing year. Last year’s announcement for the 2023 vintage year saw single quinta ports released by Kopke Group though it was not an overall declared vintage.
Carlos Alves, master blender and Port winemaker at Kopke Group, said: “2024 stands out for its balance and precision. The long growing season and the conditions during harvest allowed us to select each parcel at its optimum moment. The wines show exceptional colour, freshness and structure, with a natural harmony that reflects the character of the Douro.”
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