The original and best known port house in the world, everyone knows Taylor’s port. The house was founded in 1692 in Vila Nova de Gaia by British merchant and inn-keeper Job Bearsley, who was looking for a fortified wine to ship to England. His son Peter took this search a step further, by venturing into the inhospitable upper Douro valley in Portugal himself. The company later became a partnership between Joseph Taylor, John Fladgate and Morgan Yeatman, and Yeatman’s descendants still run Taylor’s today.
British owned to this day, Taylor’s has endured war, revolution and blight in its long and distinguished history. It has pioneered new methods of port production, distribution and even new types of port. Taylor’s estates across the Douro include some of the leading port vineyards in the country, ensuring its continued high reputation. Some of its classic Vintage Port, Tawny Port, Reserved Port and Late Bottled Vintages can command huge prices among connoisseurs.