The award has been granted in recognition of Symington’s services to UK/Portugal relations and social and environmental sustainability in the Douro.
Reflecting on the honour, Symington said that he was “proud to receive this award that recognises my family’s long dedication to the Douro.”
The award follows the granting of the Order of Merit (GO) by the president of Portugal in 2015, and Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Vila Real (UTAD) in 2019.
Born in 1953 in the Douro, Symington is a Portuguese and British national. He joined the family wine and port company, Symington Family Estates in 1979.
After becoming joint managing director in 1988, he helped to develop a strategy of strong vineyard investment, eventually becoming the leading vineyard owner in the Douro Valley.
Symington has been outspoken on issues which affect the socio-economic sustainability of the Douro region, notably in advocating the reform of the regulatory system that controls grape prices.
Under his leadership, Symington Family Estates has also become the largest farmers of organic vineyards in the north of Portugal.
