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Friday Read: A taste of Kopke’s Colheitas

The past met the future as Kopke, the oldest port wine house opened its five-star hotel in the historic Gaia riverside at the end of May. Close to the centre of the Unesco World Heritage city Porto, the 149 luxury rooms have been converted from the company’s centuries old port ageing cellars, exuding both historic and modern sophistication. There’s a high-end restaurant too, and all of this is served alongside a generous pouring of eclectic modern art, supplied by billionaire owner Juan Carlos Escort.

With owner Sogevinus now rebranded as Kopke Group, the flagship namesake Kopke dates back to 1638, existing before there was a demarcated Region of the Douro. The estate built its reputation on high quality tawny port Colheita (single harvest) wines, including white ports. So, after an aspirational Michelin star meal and a restful night, palates were prepped and primed for a tasting at Kopke’s refurbished tasting rooms, a short stroll along the famous Douro riverside.

• Read more: IWSR expects global drinks trade to grow by $16bn

Eight pre poured ports spanning nearly 90 years were presented like crown jewels, presided over by our host Carlos Alves, Kopke’s Master blender.

“The idea is to understand the different styles of port wines, the ruby and the styles of tawny. Kopke produces a very good ruby style when we vintage, but our focus, our DNA, is the tawny style,” said Alvez.

The Tasting:

Kopke Vintage Quinta San Luiz 2022

The Vintage 2022 Quinta San Luiz port was by Alves’ own admission “still a baby” but presented well with the red fruit bursting with youthful ‘joie de vivre’. It displayed well-integrated alcohol and tannic structure, a wine ripe for summer dessert pairings.

Kopke 10 Years Old White Port

Next came Kopke’s 10-year-old white port, a rich, golden yolk colour. This wine is a combination of many ports matured in oak casks, with the average age of all the wines in the blend defining the age on the label. A wine of great versatility offering a range of pairing opportunities from aperitif to paté style starters.

Kopke White Colheita 2010

The 2010 white Colheita port was coloured like Lucozade in the glass. Packed with opulent tropical fruits this magnificent aged white port was calling for dessert. Delicious if served lightly chilled alongside early summer fruits, Eton mess and citrus tarts.

Kopke 20 Years Old Tawny

Next came a classic Kopke tawny port, the 20-year-old style presented like a watercolour of the semi-precious stone garnet. Packed with trademark dried fruits there was a lithe freshness to the wine that belied its years. Pairs well with all the great dessert mainstays alongside walnuts, chevres and for the non-squeamish foie gras.

Kopke Colheita 2005

Enjoying its 20th birthday the Colheita 2005 exuded aromas of figs, dried sultanas and all the classic rich fruits that have become synonymous with Kopke’s tawny style. Pair with everything or be bold and enjoy alone.

Kopke 50 Years Old Tawny & Kopke Colheita 1976

Tasted as a pair the Kopke 50-year-old tawny (once again an average age of the ports inside it) was beautiful, rich, intense. However, when compared to the star of the show, The 1976 Colheita was probably the wine of the lineup. Alves said:

“Basically it's so elegant, so precious, in the flavour and in the mouth. Now, in this moment, I make wine for the next generation, and I work with the wines the other generation made for me. This is the life of the port wine winemaker.”

Kopke White Colheita 1935

Finally, was a gem so rare that for port and wine lovers just to admire its vibrant mustard hue alone could be enough. The 1935 white Colheita, sharing its birth year with Elvis Presley, this wine has stood the test of time.

This was the oldest Colheita that currently exists in barrel, Alves declared proudly. Bottled only from cask for the most special of clients, what made this wine so unique was not only its age but its dry palate, with just 95 grams of residual sugar – significantly less than its more youthful siblings. It displayed a very different flavour profile, nuttier but with dried fruit and an almost savoury, molasses based finish.

“We have just seven barrels… selling five, [maybe] seven bottles per year,” said Alves.

Tasting a museum piece port is a privilege and should be enjoyed alone dreaming perhaps of the winemakers who worked hard to keep these wines alive for today’s generation to enjoy. Time for a snooze perhaps, back at the hotel.

• Sogevinus
• Colheita
• aged
• Gaia
• master blender Carlos Alves
• Kopke Group
• new hotel