Celebrating 2024 Vintage Ports with Adrian Bridge, CEO, Taylor Fladgate

Celebrating 2024 Vintage Ports with Adrian Bridge, CEO, Taylor Fladgate

Established in 1692 by English wine merchant, Job Bearlsey, the venerable Port house, Taylor Fladgate, has remained 100% independent and family run throughout its history. Today its holdings include Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca and Croft.  In 2026 all three historic houses declared 2024 as a Vintage Port, a rare occurrence and the first since 2017.

Vintage Port is produced from grapes harvested during an exceptional year and bottled two to three years after the vintage. Producers make the decision only when a harvest meets the highest standards, making these releases among the most sought-after and collectible wines in the world. The 2024 wines also represent the smallest and rarest Vintage Port release in the company’s history. Following an outstanding growing season of warm weather, strong water reserves and a cooler harvest, the wines combine exceptional concentration with remarkable balance while staying true to the distinctive house styles of each producer.

Throughout its history Taylor Fladgate has been a company ahead of its time.  In 1744, Job Bearsley’s son, Bartholomew, became the first British wine shipper to acquire property in the Douro. The center for all Port production, the Douro River Valley became the world’s first demarcated wine region in 1756. In the 1800s, a partnership between Joseph Taylor, John Fladgate and Morgan Yeatman established what is now the house of Taylor Fladgate

Flash forward to 1934, Taylor Fladgate created the first white Port, known as Chip Dry, made from a blend of traditional white grape varieties. Longer fermentation and aging in oak, deliver complex characteristic of fruit and nuttiness. This product was truly ahead of its time. Today, “Porto Tonico,” white Port and tonic poured over ice and garnished with an orange wedge and mint, is a popular aperitivo served throughout Portugal and stylish bars around the world. Another Taylor Fladgate milestone is the 1970 creation of the first Late Bottle Port (LBV), a Ruby Port bottled from an exceptional single harvest year, bottled after aging for four to six years in wood.

Adrian Bridge joined Taylor Fladgate in 1994 and has served as its CEO and Managing Director since 2020. A strong advocate for promoting the region’s wine tourism, Bridge oversaw the development of the luxury Yeatman Hotel and the World of Wine Experience. Both are in Villa Nova de Gaia across the Douro River from the commercial center of Porto. Almost every major Port house has a “lodge” in Villa Nova de Gaia where visitors can learn the company story and have an exceptional tasting experience. We did just that at Taylor Fladgate, tasting wines with Head Winemaker David Guimaraens, the sixth generation of his family to be involved in the Port business.

We also had the pleasure of dining with Bridge and his wife, Nathasha, during our December 2025. A delightful raconteur and skilled businessman who has led Taylor Fladgate’s expansion, he is proud to have been born in an exceptional vintage year,1963. We welcomed him to The Connected Table September 16 to discuss Taylor Fladgate’s history and milestones and the process of determining a Vintage Port.

Here is link to the show episode on The Connected Table TV