Cockburn’s announces Tails of the Unexpected

Cockburn’s Port has a long history of being unexpected – it was one of the first port houses to plant vineyards in the remote Douro Superior; it was instrumental in resurrecting the now iconic Touriga Nacional grape variety; and it has a long tradition of producing Vintage Port in the most challenging years. Tails of the Unexpected is inspired by the brand’s past, while pushing the boundaries of port-making to appeal to a new generation of port drinkers. The concept aims to celebrate spontaneity and creativity.

Inspired by the heyday of the iconic ‘Port and Lemon’, Ruby Soho is a premium ruby port blended using grapes that are typically reserved for the top Cockburn’s Vintage Ports. It is bottled extremely young to preserve its ripe red fruit character and pin sharp acidity. Its signature cocktail – The Port & Lemon – leverages the wine’s freshness to create a well-balanced fruit-driven serve.

Tawny Eyes is an expressive and vibrant barrel-aged tawny port, sourced from the finest casks usually destined for long-term ageing. It is bottled after a few years in oak to achieve a balance between the oak and the fruit. ​The Tawny & Ginger serve showcases the wine’s honey and walnut notes in an elegant drink.

Drawn from a small selection of high-altitude vineyards, White Heights is a fragrant high grade, medium dry white port characterised by remarkable lift and acidity. The wine’s tropical fruit flavours and light honeysuckle notes make for a notably aromatic White Port & Tonic as well as a delicious straight serve.

Each wine features a dynamic world of illustrations on the label, bringing to life the influences, origins and stories that inspired each blend – from the legendary Cockburn’s winemaker John Smithes to Porto’s iconic trams, and a burlesque dancer from London’s Soho district. The bottles themselves are shaped like a cocktail mixer and are made from 100% recycled glass.

“We are thrilled to share this new project with the world. We believe the wines, the serves, and the packaging represent an exciting innovation for the port trade. In addition, this is our first ever direct-to-consumer launch, and through the summer and autumn we want to engage a community of adventurous port drinkers in Portugal and the UK with this new concept. To celebrate the launch of Tails of the Unexpected, we are hosting a Street Art competition in Porto, decorating Porto’s beautiful old trams with the illustrations, and throwing a series of secret gigs in bars throughout the city. In the UK (the brand’s No.1 market), we will be popping up at the seaside towns of Brighton and Falmouth to give holidaymakers a chance to be amongst the first people to experience these new ports – and to enjoy the signature cocktails which we have developed with the help of some top mixologists from Porto and London.”  
– Rob Symington - 5th generation port producer at Symington Family Estates

Produced in small quantities, Tails of the Unexpected will initially only be available in Portugal and the UK via an online shop on the Cockburn’s site and select On Trade customers in the UK and Travel Retail. 

UK pre-orders can be taken from Wednesday 28th July 2021 and will be shipped within two weeks. 

Find out more here.