Two British merchants traveling through the Douro Valley in Portugal in the 17th century encountered monks at a monastery near Lamego, drinking a local wine with grape brandy added to it at the beginning of its fermentation, so that the wine would retain its natural sweetness. They decided to start shipping this wine back to Great Britain. The fortifying spirit helped preserve the wine on its long sea voyage, as well as giving it a unique sweet flavor.
This was the embryonic Port. The same production methods are, more or less, still used today. In 1756, the Marquis of Pombal established the boundaries of the Douro region, creating the world's first officially demarcated wine region. It is a region sculpted by nature and humans over centuries and, for that reason, is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In 1815, the Scotsman Robert Cockburn and his brother John, already successful wine merchants in Leith, near Edinburgh, established a branch of their firm in Porto: R&J Cockburn's. They had many business partners over the years. And, like all early port companies, the name changed, eventually becoming known as Cockburn's & Co: the name that survives today.
The Cockburn family continued to run the company into the 20th century. Other families, however, joined the extended Cockburn's & Co. family during this period. The Wauchopes, the Smithes, the Teages, and the Cobbs were among them. Thus, the Cockburn's & Co. family gradually grew to include some of the finest winemakers and port tasters the trade has ever known.
Together, the Cockburn's & Co. family built a remarkable reputation for excellent Vintage Port. Records from London auction houses show that, at the beginning of the 20th century, Cockburn's Vintage Ports commanded the highest prices of any Port house.
