Silva & Cosens
Silva & Cosens Lda
| Founded | 1798 |
|---|---|
| Owner | Historical name not currently used. Owned by the Symington family |
It began in 1798 when Bruno da Silva, a Portuguese merchant from Oporto, made a journey which was the opposite to that of the first British merchants. Bruno set up in London from where he imported wine from his native country. The Port shipping business was continued by Bruno’s son, John da Silva who in 1862 brought into partnership Frederick William Cosens. Together with John’s son, Edward, they became the active partners in Silva & Cosens. With the continuing expansion of the firm, Edward da Silva and Frederick Cosens were joined by George Acheson Warre, whose well known family had been involved in the Port trade since its earliest years. ‘GAW’ joined as partner in 1868 and became its driving force in Portugal. In 1877, Silva & Cosens merged with another leading Port company, Dow & Co. Although smaller than Silva & Cosens, Dow & Co had become a very highly regarded Port producer with a particularly fine reputation for its Vintage Ports and when the two companies merged, it was decided to adopt Dow as the brand name.
| Silva & Cosens Vintages: | 1887*, 1890*, 1896*, 1899*, 1901*, 1902*, 1915, 1947 |
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| House | Silva & Cosens | Vintage | 1915 |
| Colour | Yellow almost tawny in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
| Bouquet | Burned sugar, toffee, cacao, crème caramel and some pharmacy in the nose. | Score range | 17.25 - 17.25 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and even at bit old bur knit together anyhow. Elegant and balanced with some pharmacy and burned sugar in taste. Attractive taste and long finish. Astonishing port for the vintage indeed. | Average score | |
| Last tasted | 20th December 2015 | Point this date | 17.25 |
| Comment | At home with the family. This port was bottled in Denmark by Carl Krumbak & Co., in Copenhagen | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Silva & Cosens | Vintage | 1947 |
| Colour | Tawny in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
| Bouquet | Cacao, dark chocolate, coffee and cream candy in the nose. | Score range | 16.40 - 16.40 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and peaking and maybe even a little old but very elegant. Balanced and quite complext. Easy to drink and like. Cacao and dark chocolate in taste and very sweet with a very nice finish | Average score | |
| Last tasted | 14th April 2017 | Point this date | 16.40 |
| Comment | At home with the family. This bottle belongs to Anders G. Åkesson’s collection. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |