May 13, 2026 (San Francisco, CA) — Premium Port Wines (PPW), the North American importer for Symington Family Estates, today announced a significant leadership transition within its sales organization. After 27 years of dedicated service, Paul Mugnier is retiring from his role as National Sales Manager. He will be succeeded by Marc Young, effective immediately.
For nearly three decades, Mugnier has been a cornerstone of Premium Port Wines. His tenure has been marked by significant achievements, including leading the celebrated Vintage Port campaigns from 1994 through the current 2024 launch. Under his leadership, Symington Family Estates gained substantial market share in the ultra-luxury segment, particularly across Rare Tawnies, Vintage Port, Douro DOC, and Vintage Madeira categories. While retiring from full-time duties, Mugnier will remain with the company in an advisory role to ensure a seamless transition.
“Paul has been an invaluable part of this company, and we cannot thank him enough for his decades of contribution,” said Peter Scott, President & CEO of Premium Port Wines. “We are equally excited to welcome Marc, whose deep industry expertise makes him the ideal leader for our next chapter.”
Young joins PPW with over 20 years of experience in the premium beverage alcohol sector. He most recently served as Commercial Director for Domaine Chandon and previously held the position of Market Manager for Moët Hennessy USA across several key states. His career began at Breakthru Beverage in Arizona, eventually expanding into national account strategy, distributor development, and luxury brand building.
In his new role Young will oversee national sales for PPW, including the storied Symington Family Estates portfolio of Graham’s, Dow’s, Cockburn’s and Vesuvio, as well as Blandy’s Madeira. His focus will be on strengthening distributor partnerships and expanding the footprint of the portfolio in both on- and off-premise channels.
“Port and Madeira are wines with centuries of craft behind them,” said Young. “I am drawn to the opportunity to share that heritage with a new generation of trade partners and wine lovers who are discovering just how extraordinary these categories can be.”
A resident of San Francisco, Young is an avid photographer and scuba diver—pursuits that reflect the patience and attention to detail he brings to the wine trade. He will work closely with Mugnier during the coming months to transition leadership of the national sales team.
ABOUT SYMINGTON FAMILY ESTATES
Premium Port Wines is the wholly owned US importer for Symington Family Estates. The Symingtons of Scottish, English and Portuguese descent have been port producers in northern Portugal since 1882. For five generations they have combined their passion for producing fine wines and ports with a deep commitment to the region’s land and people. Today, nine Symingtons work across their four port houses: Graham’s, Cockburn’s, Dow’s and Warre’s, as well as their Douro wine brands – Quinta do Vesúvio, Quinta do Ataíde, Altano, Prats & Symington (of Chryseia fame), and Vértice (one of Portugal’s leading sparkling wines). They also produce wine at Quinta da Fonte Souto in the Alto Alentejo, Casa de Rodas in Monção & Melgaço, and Hambledon in the UK through a joint venture.
Symington Family Estates is the world’s leading premium port producer and farms the largest area of prime (‘A’ rated) vineyard in the Douro valley, with 26 Quintas (estates) covering 2,462 hectares and 1,114 ha of vineyard. The family business is a founding member of Primum Familiae Vini – an association of 12 European wine families – and in 2020 was voted in 7th place in The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands list by a panel of over 200 international wine experts organised by Drinks International.
All Symington vineyards are sustainably managed under a minimum intervention certification and 130 ha are organically farmed – the largest area of organic vineyard in northern Portugal. The family have invested significantly in viticulture R&D to adapt to climate change and have an ambitious sustainability plan, with a series of public goals under the banner of Mission 2025. The company is a certified B Corporation – the first wine company in Portugal to take this step – joining a global community of businesses audited for the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. Symington was named Ethical Company of the Year in The Drinks Business 2019 Green Awards. In 2023 Symington Family Estates became the first wine producer in Portugal to achieve the new Sustainable Winegrowing Certification, following a rigorous audit.
