In 1815, the Scotsman Robert Cockburn and his brother John, successful wine merchants in Leith near Edinburgh, set up a branch of their firm in Porto: R & J Cockburn’s. Over the years they had many different business partners and consequently like all of the early Port companies the name frequently changed until it became known as Cockburn’s & Co: the name that survives today. Although the Cockburn family continued to run the company until well into the twentieth century, other families joined the extended family of Cockburn’s & Co during this time resulting in some of the finest winemakers and Port tasters that the trade h...