I hated port.
Until recently, port created a very specific image in my mind. Elderly men bearing intricate decanters on Christmas Day. It was something drunk alongside a cheese board and a discussion about the correct temperature to store an inherited antique oil painting.
I speak (or write) as a member of the dreaded Gen Z, and maybe this isn’t a surprise. We see almost weekly news stories about younger people drinking less, so when you think about port, a drink notoriously high in alcohol, you would imagine sales to be following this pattern.
There’s just one problem.
I hadn’t actually tried it.
Actually, that’s not entirely correct. I had, of course, had a few sips from my Grandad’s glass as a child. This could be the start of my lack of enthusiasm, as it’s not a drink children tend to be fond of. I did also try it again when studying for WSET Level 3. However, port comes near the end of the course and apparently my desperation to pass has blocked any useful memories of what it actually tasted like.
So, for now, port remained as a drink for the men of Downton Abbey.
Then I went to Porto.
My first introduction was a trip to Taylor’s. I will admit that this experience didn’t prove my theory wrong. Me and my partner were definitely the youngest people by at least a couple of decades, and the whole feel was very traditional and in line with my preconceived ideas. Don’t get me wrong, we absolutely loved it. The cellars are incredible, and it was the first opportunity I got to really try port.
Porto itself is where the image flips. It was nothing like the sleepy, old-fashioned city I’d imagined. The streets were lively with people drinking and enjoying the performers from sunrise to sunset. Most importantly, port wasn’t being treated like something that only appears at the end of a multi-course meal. It was being drank as an aperitif, mixed with tonic, Rosé Port, even just as something to sip on on its own.
Even the museums surprised us. Every turn we made, someone was handing us a glass of something new to try. Gone were the days of wandering around some dusty bottles, reading walls full of information that you forget the second you look away. Instead, we had enthusiastic young people giving us tasting notes, pairing ideas and funny anecdotes. The evenings disappeared in tiny wine bars, sipping through each house port, getting lost in the lively streets.
Each glass tasting so different from the others, it was a mystery how I had managed to lump them in together as one. For the first time, I could see each style for what it was. I was picturing myself buying bottles to drink at home and share with family.
It wasn’t until part way through the journey home when the holiday started wearing off. I started to wonder if I had been swept up in the culture. Yeah, Port feels current in Porto, of course it does. We had spent a week surrounded by Port-related tourism. Perhaps I’d mistaken this for a wider revival? Surely port is following the downward trend of wine consumption?
That’s when I thought I’d look into the numbers.
So, is port actually making a comeback?
It’s actually a bit more complicated than if Port sales are going up or down. Looking at numbers from Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP), the general picture is that shipments have been declining. However, if you look year by year, it creates a different picture.
2020: Was Port Having Its Moment?
2020… I’m sure I don’t need to remind anyone what was going on that year. Port shipments to the UK actually increased by 11.4% in volume. At first glance, that looks pretty promising. Was Port suddenly having its moment?
Probably not.
With restaurants, pubs and bars shut, we were all drinking a lot more at home. And when everything else felt a bit strange, reaching for something familiar (especially around Christmas) probably had some appeal. Port has certainly never struggled with being associated with tradition.
There was another factor too: Brexit. The increase was partly linked to businesses bringing Port into the UK ahead of the end of the transition period, in an attempt to get ahead of a potential ‘Hard Brexit’. So unfortunately, we can’t quite declare 2020 the year of the Port revival.
2025: A Port Revival?
After a few more years of decline, 2025 saw Port shipments to the UK increase by 6.7% in volume. It’s definitely too early to call this a comeback, especially as we don’t yet have a full set of figures for 2026. But the timing is interesting.
Because maybe the question isn’t whether we’re suddenly drinking more of the Port our grandparents drank. Maybe it’s whether Port itself is changing.
And there are signs that it is.
How Is Port Changing?
Alongside the traditional Christmas bottle and post-dinner glass, Port is being given a bit of a makeover. It isn’t just the way we’re drinking it that is changing; the producers themselves are experimenting with new formats and packaging.
White Port
It’s made me think about White Port too. At work, I’ve lost count of the number of bottles of White Port I’ve sold without really stopping to think about it. It was just another bottle on the shelf. Yet somehow, in my head, Port was still the dark, rich stuff. Then in Porto I was drinking White Port with tonic on a sunny afternoon and suddenly it made sense. White Port isn’t new; it’s been around for centuries, but the way it was being served made it feel completely different from the Port I’d had in my head.
Port in a Can?
RTDs are one of the big growth areas in the drinks industry, and Port producers are starting to get in on it too. Port & tonic is now making its way into cans, turning Port into something you can simply grab, chill and drink. Not something you need to dust off first.
Port in Cocktails
It’s not just RTDs that are gaining popularity, but regular cocktails are having a revival. So what better way to increase the Port consumption? You only have to scroll through a few London wine bar menus to spot the change. Port isn’t the only old-school drink getting a makeover. Sherry, vermouth and Madeira are all sneaking their way into cocktails.
A More Sustainable Bottle
Even the bottles are getting a rethink. Producers are reducing the weight of their glass to use less material and cut the CO₂ associated with production and transport. Taylor’s, for example, only this year has introduced a bottle that is 24% lighter, and they aren’t the only ones.
I obviously can’t say that any of this caused the 6.7% increase in UK shipments in 2025. Port is still declining overall, and the IVDP figures don’t tell us who is buying Port or why. But the timing is pretty interesting. While the wider drinks industry is moving towards convenient, social and more sustainable formats, Port seems to be moving with it too.
Maybe Port isn’t abandoning its traditional audience.
Maybe it’s just trying to give the rest of us a reason to drink it too.