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Warre’s Port Winery Guide

Winery Overview

Warre’s holds the distinction of being the oldest British firm known for shipping Port, with records that date back to the 1670s. John Clark is the oldest known member of the company, later followed by Thornton and finally joined by William Warre in 1729. Before Mr. Warre came on board, the company steadily grew as the demand for Port increased after the Methuen Treaty was signed in 1703. This treaty confirmed that England would defend Portugal in the war of Spanish succession. In exchange for preferential treatment for English textiles, it was agreed that the duty on Portuguese wines would be a third less than that levied on France.

William Warre, a new resident to Oporto in the same year of 1729, had been born in 1706 at Fort St. George in Madras, India. He became a partner in the Port company, and from then on, it was known as “Messrs Clarke, Thornton, and Warre.” Mr. Warre was the first British national to acquire land in Vila Nova da Gaia, across the river from Oporto, where the heart of the shipping business was to be established (and today, wine lovers can visit the beautiful historic lodges). Warre married Elisabeth Whitehead, the sister of John Whitehead, architect of the famed Factory House and the Consul in Oporto.

Andrew Symington arrived from Scotland in the 1880s. He worked alongside the Warre family until he finally took shares in the company in 1912, with financial hardship brought on by years of political instability and by prohibitive laws introduced (including the “Lei do Terco” or “Law of three” in the 1950s, which required each shipper to retain stocks of three times the amount they put up for sale). This wiped out plenty of wineries, forcing the Warre to sell the remaining shares to the Symingtons. As a result, Warre now forms part of the largest privately owned group in the port wine industry, which is wholly owned by the Symington Family.

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Author

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Genevieve Mc Carthy

Genevieve, originally from San Diego, California, has spent the last 25 years living in Europe, primarily in Spain, Ireland, and Italy. She has a background in the wine industry, having worked for a top wine importer in Ireland and a prestigious winery in Italy's Franciacorta region. In 2003, Genevieve founded Cellar Tours, a boutique wine tours company based in Madrid, Spain. She holds wine education credentials from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) in London and has a strong network within the European wine industry. Genevieve's specializes in organizing VIP tours to exclusive wineries that are not accessible to the general public. With a passion for food and wine, fluency in multiple languages, and expertise in luxury travel and tourism, Genevieve has built a successful career in creating unique wine experiences.

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