Port wine
The Douro Wine Company continued to function until 1833 (though it was briefly revived from 1843 to 1853). By the mid-19th century, the tight restriction on the Port wine trade and (in particular) its monopoly on brandy was creating contempt among the Portuguese themselves. In 1852, the Douro region was seized by Miguelites loyal to the former King of Portugal, Dom Miguel. During the 18-month siege, the Miguelites blew up the brandy storage depot of the Douro Wine Company. With the warehouses of several Port shippers nearby, the fires quickly spread with an estimated 27,000 pipes (between 12,825,000 and 12,960,000 litres; over 3.4 million US gallons) of boiling hot Port wine flooding the streets and flowing into the Douro river.