Cockburn's Port
Cockburn's Port: Douro Valley since 1815, poured in Commack.
The story behind Cockburn's
Cockburn's was founded in 1815 by Scottish brothers Robert and John Cockburn, wine merchants from Leith who set up their Port house in Portugal's Douro Valley rather than buying through the Porto middlemen. Robert had soldiered under Wellington in the Napoleonic Wars and fell for the Douro on the way through. The house earned its name on Vintage Ports that fetched the highest auction prices in London.
Corporate ownership thinned the wines for a stretch. In December 2010 Symington Family Estates bought the house and put it back under family management, and the quality came back with it. Cockburn's is also credited with rescuing low-yielding Touriga Nacional from near-extinction in the 1970s. We have poured these bottles across this counter for decades.
Explore the Cockburn's range
Five expressions cover the house, from an $10.99 Tawny to a $49.99 twenty year old, and each one earns its shelf space.
| Expression | Type | Proof / ABV | Tasting notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cockburn's Ruby Porto | Ruby Port | 38 | Young, berry-forward, three years in wood, filtered and ready to pour |
| Cockburn's Tawny Port | Tawny Port | 38 | Mellow, lightly nutty, smaller barrels speed the oxidation |
| Cockburn's Special Reserve | Reserve Ruby Port | 40 | House icon since 1969, velvety, longer oak than standard ruby |
| Cockburn's 10 Yrs Old Tawny Port | Aged Tawny Port | 40 | Dried fruit, hazelnut, fresh wood on the finish |
| Cockburn's 20 Yrs Old Tawny Port | Aged Tawny Port | 40 | Layered, rich, nutty, exceptionally smooth, serve chilled |
Which Cockburn's is right for you?
Nothing here asks you to gamble. Cockburn's Tawny Port is $10.99, the Ruby Porto $11.99, and Special Reserve $14.99, which is the bottle we hand people first. Step up to the 10 Yrs Old Tawny at $29.99 and the 20 Yrs Old Tawny at $49.99, and you are paying for time in oak, not packaging. Port is fortified to roughly 19 to 20 percent alcohol, so a bottle lasts weeks once opened. Buy Cockburn's online and we will have it ready.
Rich enough for blue cheese, cheap enough to open on a weeknight without ceremony.
Two decades in oak already done for you, nutty and smooth, serve it cold.
Deep red fruit that stands up to dark chocolate and berry tarts.