Andresen port

J.H. Andresen is one of the few port houses that remains 100% owned by Portuguese shareholders, a rare exception in an industry long dominated by British and international conglomerates. This port house is known primarily for its aged Tawny and Colheita wines, and the story of its founding is unique in the Douro region.

History

Jan Hinrich Andresen was born in 1826 on the island of Föhr, in what is now northern Germany. At the age of 14, he boarded a ship bound for Porto, ran away from it when it docked, hid in the city until the ship’s departure, and ended up staying there. He taught himself Portuguese, found work, and by the age of 19 had founded his own port wine company in 1845. He became one of Porto’s most respected businessmen and eventually came to own a fleet of steamships.

Since 2009, the estate has been run by brother and sister Manuela and Carlos Flores dos Santos, together with other family members.

Vineyards and grape varieties

Andersen does not own its own quinta. Instead, it has long-term supply contracts with Quinta das Aranhas, located near the River Tua, and Quinta das Lages, giving it access to 40 hectares of Category A vineyards, the highest classification in the Douro. The varieties used for red port are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Amarela, whilst white port is made from white grape varieties. The winemaker is Álvaro van Zeller.

Winemaking and wines

All wines are produced at the Quinta das Aranhas winery. The range includes white port in Fine, 10-year and 20-year styles, as well as Ruby, Tawny, Late Bottled Vintage and aged Tawnies of 10, 20, 30 and 40 years.

The house’s true hallmark is the Colheita range, single-vintage Tawnies aged for a long time in small oak barrels.

Andresen has been ageing Colheitas since 1900, making them some of the oldest available on the market.