The £25,000 collection, of which only 30 will be produced, includes six classic Graham’s Vintage Ports and six Single Harvest Tawny Ports, with the first edition due to be auctioned by Christie’s in December.
Founded in 1820, Graham’s marked its bicentennial in 2020, but the launch of the cabinet was delayed until now because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Graham’s said the collection included wines that had been ‘hailed as some of the greatest declarations of the last two centuries’, including classic vintage Ports from 1963, 1994 and 2011.
Each wine was selected by a different member of the third, fourth and fifth generations of the Symington family, who have been involved in Port since 1882, and who have owned Graham’s since 1970.
The classic vintage Ports have been ageing in Graham’s cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia since bottling, while the single harvest tawnies were bottled specifically for the Graham’s Bicentenary Collection.
‘The release of the Bicentenary Collection has huge significance for us as a family business, marking not only the illustrious history of Graham’s and the unparalleled excellence of the wines, but our commitment to continuing to build on these foundations for many years to come,’ said Johnny Symington, chairman of Symington Family Estates.
‘Each wine in the cabinet bears personal significance to a member of the third, fourth or fifth generation of our family, representing as they do the past, present and future of our business.’
The cabinets are made from rare santos rosewood – sourced from sustainably managed forests – by Portuguese master joiners Wewood.
They also contain a decanter and set of wine glasses created by Jancis Robinson MW in partnership with British designer Richard Brendon, a two-part Durand corkscrew designed to remove corks from mature and valuable fine wines, and a decanting funnel made by Porto-based silversmith Ourivesaria Coutinho.
The first collection will be auctioned by Christie’s in December, with all proceeds to be split between charities Scottish Wildlife Trust and Santa Casa da Misericordia de Carrazeda.
The remaining 29 cabinets will be made to order for delivery from January 2023. Expressions of interest should be emailed to: bicentenarycollection@grahams-port.com.
The Graham’s Bicentenary Collection:
Graham’s Single Harvest Tawny Ports: 1961, 1976, 1982, 1995, 2000 and 2006.
Graham’s Vintage Ports: 1963, 1970, 1985, 1994, 1997 and 2011.