Nicolas Roche is an experienced Barcelona-based wine professional who was recently recruited to join the office of Primum Familiae Vini, a rather pretentiously named group of 12 famous, family-owned wine producers. Members include two Bordeaux first growths, one of the great names of Burgundy, an Italian wine producer with roots in the fourteenth century and Germany’s most famous wine estate.
His first exposure to members of the group was to be at their annual get-together the weekend before last in Portugal’s Douro Valley. He was rather dreading it, expecting it to be an extremely formal gathering of demanding egos. In the end, however, he was amazed by the casual friendliness of the 45 family-member guests. They ranged in age from four-year-old Gabin Hugel (pictured above), the youngest representative of the Alsace producer founded in 1639, who stayed the course at each of the dinners that stretched late into the night, to 72-year-old François Perrin of Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, whose extensive family has recently enjoyed a boost in fortunes by making Brad Pitt’s Miraval rosé. Below, the crowd arriving for dinner on the first night at Quinta do Bomfim with the Douro in the background.
The presidency of the group and responsibility for hosting this annual meeting revolves strictly round the members. This year the hosts were the biggest winemaking family in the group, possibly the world, the Symington family, who have been making port and shipping it to the UK since 1882. Nine members of the family work full-time for Symington Family Estates and an almost overwhelming 34 of them were listed as hosts in the booklet that accompanied the event. Just some of them are pictured below.
The company is now largely run by a fifth generation in their thirties and forties. Most of them were educated and worked in the UK but have come home to work in the family company. Below, 40-year-old Larlie Symington presenting a Graham’s 40-year-old tawny during a morning tasting that culminated in an 80-year-old tawny blended in honour of the 80th birthday of Peter Symington (pictured below Larlie), the last surviving member of the third generation, who was the family’s chief winemaker for decades.
Back in February last year I was invited by retired chairman of Symington Family Estates Paul Symington to give a talk at the 2025 get-together, which generally, he wrote, ‘involves partners and children and just about everybody except their dogs. It is always good fun and informal and a chance to have a good chat to other wine families about many wine-related issues in private.’ He’s seen below having a quiet chat with Albiera Antinori before lunch in the Quinta do Bomfim garden.
Knowing how uniquely beautiful UNESCO-blessed port country is, and knowing many of the personnel, I was happy to join and share my thoughts on the current wine scene as an outsider, hoping, I must admit, to pick up a bit of news or gossip while there. Below, me at the same lunch before my speech with Egon Müller. Cristina Torres, Marimar’s daughter, can be seen in the background.
PFV was founded in 1991 as a result of a stroll in a Burgundian vineyard. The strollers were Miguel Torres Sr of Spain and Robert Drouhin of Beaune. Their conversation turned to the increasing globalisation and corporatisation of wine and the need to sustain the particular qualities of family ownership. These are especially important in wine production, which perforce demands a long-term view (see below) rather than generating immediate results for demanding shareholders. Coca-Cola, Seagram, Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Constellation Brands have all dabbled in wine, only to retreat, completely or partially, in frustration at the slow returns. It is probably significant that the world’s biggest wine company, Gallo of California, is family-owned.
Torres and Drouhin (Robert's daughter Véronique Drouhin pictured above on the first night) realised that, not only did family-owned companies bring something special to wine, they could benefit from banding together, both in ploys to keep their businesses in the family but also by sharing experience, expertise and knowledge. Thus was born PFV.
There must have been some interesting conversations about whom to invite. The official criteria for membership include being regarded as one of the best wine producers in their region and being run by family members. An important unofficial criterion according to Paul Symington is that the people are nice.
Since the original dozen were chosen, no fewer than three have been sold, demonstrating just how fragile family ownership is in the wine world. The importance of family harmony was demonstrated when in 2004 the Robert Mondavi wine company of Napa Valley was sold to Constellation. Mondavi was replaced by Tenuta San Guido, producer of the prototype Supertuscan Sassicaia, run by cousins of the 26th-generation Antinori, who were already members (their family tree is pictured below).
Less-than-rigorous financial governance led to the sale in 2006 of what was then the most famous Rhône producer of all, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, to Franco-Swiss businessman Jean-Jacques Frey. Jaboulet was replaced by the Perrin family of the southern Rhône.
Two years later Bruno Prats sold Château Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux to Swiss businessman Michel Reybier and the group limped along with 11 members and not that much structure for many years. It was Pablo Álvarez of Tempos Vega Sicilia, apparently, who suggested they needed to do more than just meet for a jolly every year. A small executive committee was set up, a general secretary hired in 2010, and, after much discussion (should they venture outside Europe once more?), in 2018 the Dillon family who own Châteaux Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion and Quintus was invited to become the twelfth member.
Prince Robert of Luxembourg (left above), who runs the Clarence Dillon estates, has just taken over the presidency from Charles Symington, to whom he presented a letter from Englishman John Dixon congratulating Gustave Eiffel, his rival for the commission to design the famous bridge over the Douro in Porto, written just before the first Symington arrived there in 1882. He told me on a call just after the Douro weekend that it was ‘an honour’ to be invited to join PFV. He is particularly keen on an initiative instituted in 2020. Every two years PFV gives a prize to a family-owned business that has nothing to do with wine but is a shining example of the sustainability of family ownership. This year the prize was given to the Tsutsumi family in Kyoto, who are continuing the family’s traditional lacquer business by having developed UV-resistant lacquer and diversified from Japanese bowls to rather beautiful Australian surfboards. Closing date for applications for the next prize is 31 March 2026. Below, Takuya Tsutsumi, fourth-generation lacquer artist, explains his work to PFV members last April just before being presented with the 2025 prize.
The group can now boast that its members range from those who started out as humble farmers or salesmen to a prince. Listening to stories from the past 34 years over the weekend in the Douro, I was struck by what an impact the group’s late baroness (Philippine de Rothschild) had. She may not have had much detailed wine knowledge but as an actress she knew how to make a statement. Her ‘None of us needs to belong to PFV’, is still repeated today, now that her less flamboyant sons Philippe and Julien represent the family.
The annual meeting provides ample opportunity for the generations to mingle. Above, Egon’s daugher Isabelle Müller and Paul’s son Rob Symington. Major talking points have long been succession and inheritance taxes. More recently there has been the issue of how to remain independent at a time when vineyard land prices have risen to such heights and not all family members who own a share of them actually work in the business. But at this year’s meeting there was much preoccupation with the world’s declining wine consumption, and the need to develop oenotourism as another revenue stream that puts them in touch directly with potential customers and ambassadors.
The Symingtons have been hard at work on this, spurred on by the popularity of Oporto as a tourist destination. They now have three visitor centres, four restaurants and plans for a small hotel in the Douro Valley. Vicky, daughter of recently retired chairman Johnny Symington, told us that tourism now provides 10% of their turnover.
And then, of course, there is the dramatic effect of climate change on all of them. Not before time, in 2021 a technical committee was formed, led by Charles Symington (who has followed in his father Peter’s footsteps) followed by Mireia Torres, pictured below with Heinrich Sayn-Wittgenstein of Tenuta San Guido at the final lunch at Ataíde.
Steps to mitigate hotter, drier summers have been much discussed. This year it was the turn of naturally occurring yeasts as opposed to added, specially cultured ones, EU regulations, and sustainable construction such as at the Symingtons’ brand-new LEED-certified Ataíde winery in the Upper Douro designed and shown off to the group with great pride by Charles, seen below at the new winery with some of the party.
But perhaps the most important development this year was the decision to form a committee dedicated to the next generation. It was clear during the (baking hot) weekend how well they all get on and surely can only benefit from sharing ideas and techniques, not to mention complaints about the shortcomings of their parents.
Above, Ludovico Sayn-Wittgenstein of Tenuta San Guido thoughtfully surveys the Douro Valley. He has interned with the Symingtons.
Credit for all the best images above should go to Luma, who faithfully recorded the whole event for PFV.
PFV picks
The 12 members make some extremely expensive wines but I have tried to choose one of each producer’s better-value bottles that can be enjoyed today.
Hugel Classic Riesling 2022 Alsace 12.5%
£8.50 a half The Wine Society
Symington Family Estates: Mendes & Symington, Contacto Alvarinho 2024 Vinho Verde, Monçao e Melgaço 12.5%
£16 The Wine Society
Joseph Drouhin 2022 Chorey-lès-Beaune 13.5%
£30.90 Waitrose Cellar
Marchesi Antinori, Badia a Passignano Gran Selezione 2018 Chianti Classico 15%
£35.95 Divine Fine Wines, £42.50 Honest Grapes
Famille Perrin, Clos des Tourelles 2020 Gigondas 14.5%
£42 The Wine Society
Tenuta San Guido, Guidalberto 2022 IGT Toscana 13.5%
£53.59 Bordeaux Index
Familia Torres, Mas La Plana Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Penedès 14.5%
£55 London End
Baron Philippe de Rothschild: Ch d’Armailhac 2010 Pauillac 13.5%
From £68.51 Lay & Wheeler clients
Pol Roger 2018 Champagne 12.5%
£69.97 North & South, £84 The Finest Bubble
Egon Müller, Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 2020 Saar 9%
£122.52 Vinified Wine (see this note on the 2018 vintage)
Tempos Vega Sicilia, Valbuena 5º 2020 Ribera del Duero 14%
£139.26 Four Walls Wine Company
Domaine Clarence Dillon: Le Clarence de Haut-Brion 2016 Pessac-Léognan 13.5%
£140 Waitrose Cellar
For tasting notes, scores and suggested drinking windows, see our tasting notes database. For international stockists, see Wine-Searcher.com.
Back to basics
| Why wine doesn’t suit corporates |
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For a start it takes three years to establish a vineyard, which probably won’t be producing at full tilt for another seven or so. The vines are likely to stay in the ground for 25 years at least so sudden changes in market preferences are difficult to cater to, although there is an increasing trend to respond by grafting a different vine variety on to an established rootstock.
Producers of traditional-method sparkling wine, such as almost all English fizz operations, need even more time before they see any return on investment as many a long year is needed to mature the wine before release.
Unlike beer and spirits, wine has only one production run a year, and the quality and quantity of grapes harvested can vary enormously according to each growing season. Much to the frustration of vintners’ accountants, nature not the vintner is in charge. Vintages are generally becoming less and less predictable.
But to judge from the number of (especially California) wineries that incorporate ‘family’ in their names, there is clearly some marketing value in the word, even though in Napa Valley the number of outfits that survive to even the second generation is notoriously low. |
