Churchill’s: A new look for a new era of port and wine

You might well be familiar with the white Churchill’s label, which has been wrapped around Johnny Graham’s bottles of port for 40 years, with its bold black font and the small crown that sits above the C. Johnny was 29 when he founded Churchill’s in 1981 and the label has served him well over the decades, as Churchill’s has grown to become a world-renowned port house. 

But, after celebrating their 40th birthday last year, Churchill’s are heading into their next 40 years with a fresh new image, which represents everything that they are about: minimalism (they are proud practitioners of minimal intervention winemaking) and beauty (their high pedigree vineyards are located in the stunning surroundings of the Douro). The crown is still very much part of their logo (something Johnny took from his family crest), but the heavy capitalised branding is now in a sleeker lowercase font, with a diamond dotting the “i”, symbolising elegance.

A selection featuring Churchill’s Dry White Port and range of Tawny Ports

The new look suits the philosophy of the wines: a fresh take on an established industry. Johnny has always sought a dry style of port, prioritising purity of fruit, structure, acidity and elegance. As a still relatively young port house, and the only one that is still founder-led, Churchill’s have had the freedom to do things differently: when his competitors were all making young dry ports, Johnny preferred to age his dry white port for around 10 years, so that the brandy could integrate more harmoniously.

In addition to their range of seven ports (Dry White Port, 10, 20 and 30 Year Tawny Ports, Reserve Port, Late Bottled Vintage Port and Crusted Port), Churchill’s also has eight dry table wines in their portfolio. Their Grafite range in particular is where Zoe, Graham’s daughter, feels they have made the biggest impact as a brand, as everything about it encapsulates the Douro at its most authentic, including its eco-conscious packaging. Grafite means ‘minerality’ and it reflects the freshness and purity of the Douro terroir.