Croft | Douro

Croft. The oldest active Port house in the world

The story of Croft begins over four centuries ago in the city of York, at the time one of England's principal centres of trade. In 1588, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Thompson, a member of a prominent Yorkshire family, was admitted to the city's merchants' company and established a successful wine trading business. That firm would go on to become the Port house we know today as Croft.

Croft is the oldest company still actively producing Port today — a distinction that sets it apart from every other great name in the Port world, representing an unbroken history of more than four centuries of craftsmanship and trade.

From trading house to Port empire

The first record of a large-scale overseas Port transaction dates to 1678, at a time when the company was still known as Phayre, Bradley & Thompson, after its two newly admitted partners. The Croft name was only added to the firm in 1736, following the union of two Yorkshire families by marriage. By 1827, Croft & Co. had grown into the world's fourth largest Port shipper — a century later, they were number one.

Today, Croft is part of the Fladgate Partnership, a family-owned company that also includes Taylor Fladgate and Fonseca, with its current members representing the eighth generation of the Yeatman family.

Quinta da Roêda. The heart of the house style

Quinta da Roêda, located in Pinhão, was acquired by Croft in 1889 and extensively renovated throughout the first half of the twentieth century. The estate's rich, aromatic wines, with their full fruit character, form the foundation of Croft's Vintage blend and are the cornerstone of the house style. The hallmark wines of Roêda are full-bodied and vigorously fruity, with the distinctive aroma of Gumcistus — the aromatic shrub that grows across the terraces — at their very core. The visitors' centre is housed in the former stables of Quinta da Roêda, carefully restored in the traditional style of the Douro.

Pioneer and traditionalist

What makes Croft truly remarkable is the combination of deep-rooted tradition and a pronounced pioneering spirit. Croft is credited with producing the very first Vintage Port, and the house continues to lead the way with some of the finest fortified wines in the region.

That innovative spirit reached one of its most memorable expressions when Croft launched the world's first ever rosé Port — Croft Pink — produced in a light, fresh and fruity style, designed for summer drinking. By briefly cold-macerating traditional red Port grapes and fermenting the lightly coloured juice at low temperature, the winery created the basis for this uniquely delicious Port. Served over ice or as the base for a refreshing cocktail, Croft Pink won over an entirely new generation of Port drinkers.

A range for every occasion

Croft produces the full spectrum of Port styles: from young Ruby and elegant Tawny to mature Aged Tawny and outstanding Vintage Ports. Winemaker David Guimaraens continually pursues innovation both in the vineyards and the winery, working with a broader selection of grape varieties to preserve complexity and individuality.

More than four centuries after its founding in York, Croft remains a house that honours its past while embracing the future — driven by the same pioneering spirit with which Henry Thompson first began.

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