Taylor
Taylor’s history goes all the way back to the year 1692, making it one of the oldest port houses. At the time, Englishman Job Bearsley arrived in the Douro Valley and started trading port and red wines. Business was so good that his son Bartholomew became one of the first English wine merchants to buy an estate. After several generations, the Bearsley period came to an end and the winery became the property of Joseph Talyor, who gave the wine company its current name.
Taylor’s property covers more than 150 hectares and is divided over several so-called quintas. Sustainability is a top priority at the winery. That is why the vineyards are arranged in such a way that erosion is kept to a minimum, no irrigation is needed, and the grapes can still ripen perfectly. In addition, certain plants, insects and weeds are planted between the vines to increase biodiversity. This earned the company the official BES Biodiversity Award in 2009.
Mid-September is when the manual harvest takes place. On arrival in the cellar, the bunches are checked for quality again and the grapes are destemmed. Then, the traditional process starts of putting the bunches in large tubs, also called lagares, and crushing the grapes by foot, also called treading. It is a costly and time-consuming process, but it gives the best results. Then, fermentation starts. When it is halfway fermented, the wine is fortified. By fortifying the wine, some residual sugars remain, and this gives the wine a sweet character. Taylor's has been an established name for many years when it comes to Vintage and Late Bottled Vintage port wines.
Wine enthusiasts can witness this extraordinary process firsthand during a tour of the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia. The age-old history and the fantastic quality make Taylor's a very unique winery!
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