It was the Dutch who first loaded ships with wine in Oporto. They introduced distilling in the Armagnac and Cognac regions, and at the beginning of the 17th century drained the marchants, they filled the gap left when the English lost control of Gascony, and their efforts benefited local families, such as the Pontacs and Lestonnacs, who established the chateaux which laid the foundations for all the 19th and 20th century premier cru sites.