Churchill's, a Port for now

James Mayor met Johnny Graham and his daughter Zoe, co-CEO of Churchill’s with her husband Ben Himowitz, at Churchill’s Port Lodge

Photo: Churchill’s - Ben Himowitz, Zoe Graham and Johnny Graham

A Port for now

When Johnny Graham founded Churchill’s, in 1981 at the age of 29, it was the first Port firm to be created in 50 years. “It was a crazy idea,” Graham remembers with amusement.

“I came back to Portugal in 1973, just before the Revolution, to look after my mum, as my father had died.”

Churchill’s 1982 Garden Bar

Graham’s, the historic family Port business, had been sold to the Symington family in 1970. Johnny Graham worked his apprenticeship with Cockburn’s (another Symington’s Port brand), understudying legendary Master Blender John Smithes, before taking the leap to create his own Port company with help from his two brothers.

“I needed 150,000 litres of Port; this was the rule then for minimum stock. Taylor’s persuaded me to do a consultancy, which provided some income whilst setting up Churchill’s. Our first home, for almost 10 years, was in one of Taylor’s lodges.We then bought this site [in Vila Nova de Gaia], a ruin which we renovated and put a roof on. Financially speaking the early years were a rollercoaster ride, but it was a passion project. I always loved the winemaking side,” he recalls. Cockburn’s had instructed Johnny with discipline in Port making.

“This became part of my DNA. I like to have structure and tannin, I didn’t want too much ripeness or sweetness. My style is dryer, leaner,” he explains.

Quinta da Gricha

“In 1999, we raised money to buy Quinta da Gricha, on the south bank of the Douro, up-river from Pinhão (the north bank tends to be very hot), and this has become our winery and base. Gricha is the Portuguese term for water source,” Johnny’s daughter, Zoe, continues.

“Gricha is such a special terroir, aromatic and resinous. Because we are north-facing, you have great natural acidity which brings elegance and lightness. The property is also the site of ancient tin mines, which adds an interesting minerality.”

Today, Churchill’s produces equal quantities of Port and table wine, with about 80% of all production going to export.

“The domestic Portuguese market has never been really big for our Ports, but the country has become more important for us now with table wines,” Johnny comments.

Johnny Graham 50th Harvest in the Douro

“All our Ports are still foot-trodden, a more gentle way to extract,” explains Zoe. “We hand-pick our grapes with double selection, to preserve the fruit’s quality and integrity, and we keep human intervention as low as possible.”

A new generation

In 2019, Zoe and her husband, American Ben Himowitz, decided to come back to Portugal and join the family business.

“Ben and I were both working on innovation and brand strategy for giant multinational drinks brands, but all the time an idea had been percolating we could be doing this for the family business in Portugal,” she explains.

“Their decision to come back, just as the pandemic was starting, was the best thing that could have happened to me,” reveals Johnny, who remains responsible for the essential production side of the business.

Ben Himowitz and Zoe Graham, Co-CEOs Churchill’s

Zoe explains that the pandemic provided space for strategic thinking: “Did we want to remain a boutique company (we found ourselves very exposed with Covid), or did we wish to grow? We also had time to get the brand fundamentals in order, changing bottle shapes and redesigning labels. We see ourselves as quite tribal. We prefer a dryer, fresher, lighter style of Port with more acidity, actually very in tune with today’s consumer tastes.

We’re more of a challenger brand; it’s never going to be about leading the Port category, however we can provoke and go for more market share.”

Port futures

Zoe believes Port needs to premiumize. “The price of a 20-year-old Tawny is outrageously low, it should be double. Our generation needs to get the price of Port up to reflect the production process. Port is special and about creating special moments. At the same time, we need to avoid falling into the elitism trap,” she reflects.

“We’re not too concerned by the ‘doom and gloom’ Port story. There’s still so much opportunity in the market. There are also huge opportunities for Douro table wines.”

Johnny contextualizes: “The Douro is a beautiful part of the world but also a challenge. This is not a cheap wine or cheap Port region. Production costs are high and mechanisation very difficult. Port already has a reputation. We now have to develop the reputation of Douro DOC wines.”

Blending Experience

How about tourism as a motor for growth? “The Douro is a very specific region, just a couple of hours inland. I believe in 10 to 20 years it will be on the map as a high-end destination. We need to take advantage of the huge number of people on our doorstep. You’ve got to elevate to meet the kind of level tourists are looking for. We need to offer tourism services and the wines at a higher price. For now, however, this is out of step with the realities of the local market and cost of living. Last year, 40% of our visitors were Americans, which is amazing! Some people already have Port knowledge, but we also have a lot of Port novices,” Zoe states, adding that Churchill’s team of wine educators are giving visitors personalised tours.

Churchill’s Team

During Covid, Churchill’s created a pop-up wine bar in the glorious garden behind their property in Gaia, looking across the River Douro to Porto. These days, during the summer months, it is open Friday to Sunday afternoons with a chef and music.

First published Essential Algarve, December 2024