Michael Symington Obituary - Symington Port and Madeira Shippers

Michael Symington, CBE
1925 - 2013
Michael Symington, who died on January 25 th , aged 87, was the senior member of a family
of Scottish origin long resident in Oporto, Portugal and active as Port producers for several
generations.
His grandfather, Andrew James Symington had come to Oporto in 1882 as a young man
from Glasgow in Scotland to work in Graham’s. In 1891 Andrew married Beatrice de Leitão
de Carvalhosa Atkinson, daughter of John Atkinson, a Port producer in Offley Forrester and
niece of Edward Atkinson, Port producer in Smith Woodhouse. The Atkinsons had been in
Port since 1814. Beatrice’s mother was descended from a long line of distinguished Port
families, including van Zeller, Kopke, Wittingham and Maynard. The latter is recorded as
having shipped Port to England in 1652, the second oldest shipment ever made by
somebody from the British Isles. Maynard had been appointed English Consul in Oporto in
1656 by Oliver Cromwell and was later confirmed in his position by Charles II after the
restoration in 1660.
Andrew James’s success in Port led him to acquire the venerable firm of Warre & Co, which
had been established in Oporto in 1670, the oldest British Port company. There he was
joined in due course by his sons Maurice, father of Michael and the twins John and Ronald.
In 1912 the Symingtons also became partners in Dow’s Port, by then owned by the Warre
family.
Michael Douglas Symington was born in Oporto on 13 th May 1925, both his parent’s having
also been born in the city. He attended first the Oporto British School and in 1938 went to
the Oratory School at Caversham Park near Reading. In 1943 he enlisted in the Rifle
Brigade and, after being commissioned, served in Egypt and Greece. In January 1947 he
was awarded the Commander-in-Chief’s Commendation for outstandingly good service by
General Sir Miles Dempsey.
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In 1947 he joined his father and uncles in the family business in Oporto. It was a difficult
time as sales during the war had been negligible and Port was not viewed as a fashionable
when peace returned. Many of the historic Port companies were sold at this time as there
appeared to be little hope. But the Symingtons persisted, partly due to their great love of the
beautiful Douro valley and its wines and partly out of a sense of duty to their fathers. The
Port trade today owes much to Michael Symington and a few others of his generation, who
continued to believe in Port and the Douro when most were selling out and leaving.
Better times came in the early 1960s by which time two younger cousins, Ian and James
Symington, had also come into the business. The firm was to be strengthened in due course
by the addition of two further cousins, the brothers Amyas and Peter. At the same time the
Warre family had decided to withdraw their interest, leaving the Symingtons owning the
Warre and Dow Port companies. His father having retired in 1960, the retirement of his
twin uncles John and Ronald in 1965 left Michael Symington heading the family enterprise.
With his cousins Ian and James he formed a triumvirate which ran the business for the next
twenty five years, taking it from a modest size to today´s prominent position in the Port trade.
In 1970 the Symingtons bought the Graham´s Port company from the family which had
brought their grandfather to Oporto in 1882 and Graham´s became a central part of their
family’s Port business.
In the Port trade it is usual for a Vintage year to be declared two or three times in a decade.
Following the declaration of the great 1970 Vintage Port, the three cousins, Michael, Ian and
James, each travelled over to the UK to offer the young Port to the wine trade, as was the
tradition. Each took samples from one of the different family’s companies. The venerable
Berry Brothers, knowing that all three Symington cousins would be coming in at different
times on the same day, put a sign up outside their office in St James’s Street saying ‘No
Hawkers or Symingtons’.
The revolution in Portugal in 1974 was a very testing time. Investment came to a halt
although the Symingtons took a sanguine view and continued their daily involvement in the
company, defying the pessimism of the time. They also offered Douro grape farmers, many
of whom suddenly found themselves without a buyer, the use of the family´s wine production
centre to process their grapes which otherwise might have been left on the vine. Their
confidence was to serve them well, the Douro farmers never forgot and customers overseas
were grateful to have continuity of supply.
Michael Symington formed part of a small group advising the British Ambassador in Lisbon
of the situation in Oporto. The north of Portugal was fortunately less affected by
demonstrations and violence than Lisbon and the south. Michael was also on the board of
the Port Producer’s Association who had to negotiate with the revolutionary Government,
most of whom were determined on wholesale nationalistaion of the Port trade and all its
vineyards. Michael and his Portuguese colleagues were able to demonstrate that this would
certainly destroy three centuries of history and eventually common sense prevailed, and the
companies were allowed to continue their work. The better managed Port companies,
including those of the Symington family, enjoyed the unstinting support of their workers
throughout this revolutionary period, a testament to the respect built up over many years.
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Later, Michael Symington was instrumental in inviting President Mario Soares, the first
democratically elected President of Portugal since the time of Salazar, to a dinner in his
honour at the British Factory House in Oporto.
In 1988 Michael was appointed CBE for his contribution to Anglo-Portuguese relations
during this period and for his work in the British community in Oporto.
Michael Symington oversaw the September vintage in the Douro for many years, having
taken over from his Uncle Ronald and eventually handing over responsibility to his younger
cousin Peter. Apart from the supervision of the wine making, Michael Symington and his
wife Elizabeth entertained countless wine trade figures and journalists, many from Britain but
also many others from all over the world. Over several generations, the hospitality of the
Symington family in the Douro and Oporto has been legendary and Michael and his wife
Elizabeth maintained this tradition with their friendly and informal manner.
Today the Symington family business is the largest in the Port trade and one of the major
wine companies of Portugal. Having acquired Cockburn´s Port a few years ago, the family is
now the most extensive vineyard owner in the Douro, the biggest Port producer and the
leader in the production of premium Ports (Reserve, LBV, and Vintage Port). The
Symingtons are also significant producers of Douro red and white wines and are partners
with the Blandy family of Madeira in the wines of that island.
Michael Symington followed the tradition of his father and uncles of being a great lover of the
Douro valley vineyard country and would spend much of his time there, first at Quinta do
Bomfim and later, after his retirement in 1990, at his own vineyard high up in the hills
overlooking the Pinhão valley.
Michael Symington married in 1951 Elizabeth Stilwell of a large Anglo-Portuguese family in
Lisbon. They had a daughter and three sons, of whom the eldest, Paul, and the youngest,
Dominic, followed him into the family business. Paul is now chairman of the family firm
working with his cousins John, Rupert, Charles and Clare as well as his brother Dominic. In
2012 Paul was nominated ´Man of the Year` by the wine trade magazine ´Decanter`.
31/1/13
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