aCknowleDgeMents
I am indebted to a huge number of people who have helped me since I first arrived in
Oporto over thirty years ago. The following roster of names, which reads almost like a wine
list, is by no means exhaustive but I hope that all those who have assisted directly with the
preparation of this book are included. Over the years, many have become good friends.
In preparing this edition, I am especially grateful to the following individuals: Paul
Symington, Charles Symington and Pedro Leal da Costa (Symington Family Estates);
Adrian Bridge, David Guimaraens and António Magalhães (Fladgate Partnership),
António Agrellos (Quinta do Noval), Luís Sottomayor (Ferreira), Professor Nuno
Magalhães and Dirk Niepoort.
In the Douro I am especially indebted to the Symington Family and to Jorge and Tita
Roquette (Quinta do Crasto) for regularly providing me with luxurious lodgings from
which to conduct my research.
I also wish to express my heartfelt thanks to: Fernando Alves (ADVID), Tim, Philip
and Sophia Bergqvist (Quinta de la Rosa), Miguel Corte Real (ex-Cockburn), Nick
Delaforce (Niepoort), Johnny Graham (Churchill Graham), Euan Mackay (Symington
Family Estates) Vasco Magalhães (Sogrape), João Nicolau de Almeida (Ramos Pinto),
Jim Reeder (ex-Cockburn, now Dalva), George Sandeman (Sandeman), Christian Seely
(Quinta do Noval), Peter Symington (ex-Dow, Graham, Warre, etc.) for providing me
with so much technical detail from quinta, adega and armazém. In the Douro and Vila
Nova de Gaia, it goes without saying that they also provided some great hospitality. There
are many others in Portugal to whom I also wish to express my thanks: Manuel Angelo
Barros, Pedro Branco (Quinta do Portal), Iolanda Carneiro (Wiese & Krohn), Peter
Cobb (ex-Cockburn), José Maria Soares Franco (Ferreira), Carlos Magalhaes (Quinta
do Silval), Vito and Francisco Olazabal (Quinta do Vale Meao), Luisa Olazabal (Rozès),
Jorge Pintão (Poças), Jorge Dias (Porto Cruz), Pedro Silva Reis (Real Companhia Velha),
Guilherme Alvares Ribeiro (Quinta do Vallado), Jorge Rosas (Ramos Pinto), Alistair and
Gillyanne Robertson (The Fladgate Partnership), João Roseira (Quinta do Infantado),
Henry Shotton (Symington), Domingos Alves de Sousa (Quinta da Gaivosa) Álvaro and
Fernando van Zeller (Barão de Vilar) and Cristiano van Zeller (Quinta Vale Dona Maria).
Without their help and co-operation this book would not be complete.
Oporto and the Douro has always been something of a cultural melting pot and a
number of Australian winemakers have recently started to have an impact on the region.