As we approach the Cockburn vertical next week, I thought it might be interesting to read through the background and strategy for the tie-up between the Symingtons and Cockburn. The best couple of articles I came across are these:
The Flying Wine Writer and the always excellent Info Port Wine
Alex
Links between Cockburn and the Symingtons
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Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
- Posts: 14915
- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Links between Cockburn and the Symingtons
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
Re: Links between Cockburn and the Symingtons
I have not yet read either of the articles linked to above but thought it would be interesting (at least to me) to post my thoughts before doing so.
From the outset I have had difficulty thinking of Cockburn as a Symington-style house. To me, Cockburn is a house that has ploughed a lone furrow and has resisted the temptation to stick with convention and declare with the masses. If you look at the houses we all think of today as being "in the family" (with the obvious exception of Vesuvio) you will no doubt find that every Sym house has declared in every genarally declared year in the past 100 years. Cockburn has not followed that trend. They have also chosen to go after the mass market in the developed nations by being one of the only producers to ship a 1litre bottle of premium ruby. By doing this they have filled the shelves of airport duty free shops around the world. What it tastes like (to e and you) isn't relevant here. What matters is that they have done what no other shipper has dared to do.
The thoughts above are from my perception of Cockburn beyond 2 weeks ago when I visited their cellar in VNG. I turned up (with Uncle Tom) at the gate expecting nothing more than a standard tourist "tour-n-tasting" event. I could not have been more wrong. We were invited into the lodge and taken into the most spectacular cellar of VP I have ever seen. Any port lover reading this should close their eyes and imagine what an ancient cellar full of mouldy, crusty, dusty, cob-web-encrusted and unknown bottles of VP should look like. That is then Cockburn cellar. Spectacular doesn't even come close to describing it.
Other things that have happened in the past year or so or that became apparent to me during my visit suggest to me that Cockburn has not yet been fully integrated (or wanted to be integrated) into the Symington fold. In my opinion, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Consolidation with diversity is a concept I fully endorse.
Derek
From the outset I have had difficulty thinking of Cockburn as a Symington-style house. To me, Cockburn is a house that has ploughed a lone furrow and has resisted the temptation to stick with convention and declare with the masses. If you look at the houses we all think of today as being "in the family" (with the obvious exception of Vesuvio) you will no doubt find that every Sym house has declared in every genarally declared year in the past 100 years. Cockburn has not followed that trend. They have also chosen to go after the mass market in the developed nations by being one of the only producers to ship a 1litre bottle of premium ruby. By doing this they have filled the shelves of airport duty free shops around the world. What it tastes like (to e and you) isn't relevant here. What matters is that they have done what no other shipper has dared to do.
The thoughts above are from my perception of Cockburn beyond 2 weeks ago when I visited their cellar in VNG. I turned up (with Uncle Tom) at the gate expecting nothing more than a standard tourist "tour-n-tasting" event. I could not have been more wrong. We were invited into the lodge and taken into the most spectacular cellar of VP I have ever seen. Any port lover reading this should close their eyes and imagine what an ancient cellar full of mouldy, crusty, dusty, cob-web-encrusted and unknown bottles of VP should look like. That is then Cockburn cellar. Spectacular doesn't even come close to describing it.
Other things that have happened in the past year or so or that became apparent to me during my visit suggest to me that Cockburn has not yet been fully integrated (or wanted to be integrated) into the Symington fold. In my opinion, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Consolidation with diversity is a concept I fully endorse.
Derek
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn