Kopke Colheita Port
Colheita, meaning harvest or crop, are Ports from a single year but differ from a Vintage. They are essentially another style of Tawny, aged for a minimum 7 years in cask (often more). They are released when ready to drink; unlike Vintage ports they will not improve in bottle and need not be drunk up within days of opening.
Colheitas offer excellent value being less expensive than similarly aged Vintage Ports and are more of a rarity – even less Colheita is bottled than Vintage Port, typically only 1% of all Port produced in any given year.
Bright red-brown colour with a delicate and complex nose of blackcurrant and red fruits. The taste is full with dry fruit and spice among the blackcherry flavours. Excellent structure with fine, firm and balanced tannins and a mildly fruity finish with more spice.
Food matching is versatile, see the 10 Year old Tawny recommendations.
About the Producer
C N Kopke
Formed in 1638 by Christiano Kopke and his son Nicolau, the House of Kopke is the oldest established Porto wine export firm. Through many generations, the Company was run by several representatives of the Kopke family, obtaining an excellent reputation for its wines.
Kopke passed to the Bohane family at the end of the 19th century, who tried to run it from London, where they had most of their economic interests. But the geographical distance and the two World Wars disabled their control of the House and they decided to sell.
In 1953 and after some negotiations, Manuel Barros, bought Kopke where it became part of the Barros Group which includes other port houses such as Hutcheson and Feuerheerd. Manuel Barros and his Sons, João and Manuel, ran the company until the middle of the 1970s.
In 2006 the Sogevinus Group, looking to widen its presence in Port wines, took control of Barros’ interests, the vineyards and production of Kopke along with Hutcheson and Feuerheerd.
