Max Graham, Portuguese wine ambassador to London

Max Graham

Max Graham and his father Johnny are redoubtable entrepreneurs. When Johnny founded Churchill’s in 1981, nobody had created a Port company for 50 years. “I remember, as a small kid, the smell of the Port lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia,” Max recalls. Today, the younger Graham is on the board of Churchill’s; his sister, Zoe, co-CEO with her American husband Ben Himowitz.

This visceral early connection with Portugal’s wines led Max Graham to create London’s first pop-up Port bar in Greek Street, Soho, in 2013. He was 27 and had studied fine arts at university. “I hardly had a clue what I was doing, but the idea was sparked. It was because of Churchill’s wines I got into this. I was bewildered by how unrepresented Portugal was in the UK.” The first Bar Douro followed in 2016, under a railway arch on the South Bank near London Bridge.

The brand’s second outlet, Bar Douro City, is located in London’s famous financial district, ringed by high-rise office blocks. Inside, however, the visitor could be mistaken for believing themselves in Portugal. A wall of blue and white azulejo tiles face the bar and open kitchen. It’s 2pm and the place is full of customers finishing lunch or tasting a glass of wine.

Does Graham consider himself an ambassador? “100%!” he exclaims. At 38, Graham is soft-spoken and articulate, an expert on Portuguese cuisine and wines. “Bar Douro is a showcase for the best of Portugal. We want to keep the business fairly small, perhaps three or four London outlets, to retain the authenticity and sense of identity. If it becomes too ‘chainy’, we’ll lose that integrity. Authentic gives more room to play, it’s about flavours.

Bar Douro London Bridge

“Our mission is to share Portugal’s wines and culture with Londoners. We take people on a journey through Portugal, its regions and culinary stories. Our staff are a mix of Portuguese and other nationalities.”

I ask who comes through the door. “We have three customer segments: people passionate about Portugal with an emotional need; wine enthusiasts; Londoners and global foodies. The ‘modern Portuguese restaurant’ has been in flux for 20 years,” offering Graham the opportunity to occupy a niche in London’s competitive culinary scene.

“We have a menu of mainly small plates, rich in culture and heritage. We stay true to the flavours of the dish and sometimes present in a more accessible, contemporary way. When possible, we source locally, particularly meat and vegetables. Of course, our bacalhau (cod) comes from Portugal, and so do the presuntos, cheeses and olive oil, all supplied by artisanal producers.”

Dishes begin to arrive as we talk: bacalhau à Brás, a signature dish here and prepared to perfection, croquetes de alheira (smoked Portuguese sausage croquetes) and arroz de cogumelos selvagens (wild mushroom rice). We taste a white, Quinta das Bágeiras Colheita 2022 (Bairrada); and two reds, Vitor Claro ‘Dominó Colar’ 2021 (Lisboa), Herdade do Rocim ‘Indígena’ 2021 (Alentejo). The Vitor Claro was a reminder that Lisboa wines deserve more attention than they’ve had up to now.

Azulejos Mural Bar Douro City

The all-Portuguese wine list is diverse and dynamic, embracing Churchill’s Ports and still wines, of course. “Some of the white wines we’re selling stand up against great Burgundies, and they’re way less expensive. What you’re getting in terms of value for money is incredible. It’s really important to celebrate Portugal’s diversity, with every region so very different.”

With his family background in the challenging Port business, Graham views today’s burgeoning wine scene in Portugal with hope. “Wine as an industry is declining, so it’s a hard ship to navigate at the moment. There’s over-supply, the market is swamped with wine, everyone’s promoting and discounting. If you’re going to make wine like everyone else, I don’t see the point.

“The wine scene in Portugal is still very young, but the country is doing amazing things. This scene is expanding and quality improving. In 10 years, the improvement in whites has been incredible. Ten years ago, I felt the reds were trying to do something for the market rather than being true to their terroir and identity. There’s more knowledge and confidence now, more edginess.”

Portugal still has an image associated with low value that needs to be shed. Graham references projects smashing that glass ceiling, such as Júpiter, the talha wine made by Pedro Ribeiro, organiser of Amphora Wine Day.

Zoe Graham and Johnny Graham at Quinta da Gricha Copr. Churchills

Graham plans to redesign their cellar list and shows me a mock-up for a wood print map of Portugal’s wines. He wants to introduce more emotion and story-telling – how to simplify presentation of Portuguese wines to encourage punters to look further than Vinho Verde and Douro.

“I think the geographical approach is the easiest way for people to understand Portugal’s wines. We can also talk about foot trodden, old vines, high altitude, Atlantic influence and field blends … we’ll stay clear of grape varieties; there are just too many, though we can mention a few such as Touriga Nacional, Encruzado, Baga…”

How did his still young business get through the Covid pandemic? “It was challenging, but an incredibly exciting period. We had just opened this City branch, and it felt like we were on the frontier, with difficult decisions needing to be made quickly. We launched Bar Douro’s online bottle shop and delivered food kits.

“To celebrate the end of the pandemic, I had the crazy idea of putting on a wine festival in Wapping with 55 producers from Portugal. ‘Festa’ was perhaps biting off more than I could chew financially, but an absolute blast – we got 3,000 people through the door in two days!”

Today, Festa is Graham’s second business, morphed into an importer, distributor and retailer of Portuguese wines. He acknowledges a debt to the expert on Portuguese wines, Sarah Ahmed, who has contributed essential advice. “In the early days, Sarah helped us shape our vision. In the UK, it’s a real challenge selling Portuguese wines to the trade. The UK is a mature market with Portugal still under-represented.”

I ask Graham what’s next. “Right now, I’ve got two kids under the age of four. Between them, Bar Douro and Festa, my hands are pretty full! However, we’ve been on the hunt for some time for a third location, in Covent Garden or Soho. We’re continuing our monthly events with winemakers and next year we’re bringing back our Portuguese guest chef series, with tasting menus paired with wines. And Raymond Reynolds (the veteran importer of Portuguese wines) and I are preparing a Portugal wine event in March for trade and press.

First published Portugal Resident, 'Portugal Forward', December 2024