Established in Porto, in the north-west of Portugal for more than 200 years, the House of Dow is associated with some of the most prestigious Port wines.
The unique history of Maison Dow makes it an exception among the other great Port houses. It was in 1798 that Bruno Da Silva, a Portuguese merchant from Porto, moved to London to market wines imported from his native country. By marrying an English woman, Bruno Da Silva quickly integrated into London society and developed his fine wine business.
With the Napoleonic wars threatening trade (and especially trade between Porto, Bristol and London), Bruno Da Silva asked the Royal Court of England for the precious "Letter of Marque", a kind of patent letter from a sovereign, which would allow the crew of a ship to be armed and to attack if necessary.
When this was granted to him, Bruno Da Silva became the sole trader with the right to transport his goods with his own armed protection.
Following the commercial expansion of Da Silva and his partnership with James Ramsay Dow in 1877, Dow's became the name of the brand of the historic House of Port, which in 1961 became the property of the Symington family.
Today, Dow's continues to be one of the most prestigious Port Houses, with wines known around the world for their power and their marvelous ability to age over the years, while maintaining pure fruit aromas, a dazzling structure, an elegance, richness and complexity. A legendary vintage, the Vintage Port Dow 1996 is, alongside the 1900, 1908, 1980, 2003, 2007 and 2016 vintages, one of the greatest Port wines ever produced. Truly a piece of art.
