A couple of weeks ago I was attending a wine tasting and a member arrived with a bottle of White Tawny Port. The general consensus from around the room was "really?". However, once tasted we were smitten.
I acquired three wines from Kopke for a panel tasting:
- 10 Year Old White Tawny Port
- 30 Year Old White Tawny Port
- 2003 White Colheita Port
The House of Kopke is Portugal’s oldest Port wine export company, was founded by a German family in 1638 who were living in the region.
Colheita Port is a type of tawny Port where all grapes are from one harvest. This is sometimes called 'Single Harvest Port'. In Portuguese, the word Colheita means harvest and can be construed therefore, to mean vintage as well.
White Tawny Port is made in exactly the same way as Red Tawny Port, but with little or no maceration, as the main difference is that only white grape varieties are used: Gouveio, Malvasia Fina, Códega, Moscatel Galego, Rabigato or Viosinho.
From the three wines tasted, everyone loved the 10 Year Old and the panel was split on their votes for second place between the Colheita and 30 Year Old. Personally, I thought all three were excellent and my overall preference was the 2003 Colheita - I shall be serving it extensively this coming autumn and winter.
1 - Kopke 10 Year Old White Tawny Port
Portugal Vineyards - 25.62
Light amber colour. Aromas of dried stone fruits with hints of spices, close to a caramelized crème brûlée just after it has been torched. The richness on the palate also contains a good level of acidity that works to exquisitely balance the wine. It’s long: sits and sits on the palate. The dried fruits are joined by flavours of hazelnuts and a distinct orange flavour. Everyone reached for a second glass and you could see the amazement on their faces as they tasted this wine for the first time. Although cheese is the obvious pairing, I would very happily drink this with a rich mushroom risotto.
2 - Kopke 30 Year Old White Tawny Port
The Whisky Exchange - £54.25 - half-bottle
More intense colour, nose and palate than the 10 Year Old. Hints of grapefruit acidity perfectly balance the high level of residual sugar. If you tasted this blind, without seeing the colour, you could easily place it as a traditional tawny. It is very well crafted and a delight to drink. Nutmeg, pears, apples and again an underlying hint of orange. It slips down very, very easily. However, a few of the panel thought the alcohol was a tad too obvious, and therefore not as delicate as the other two wines.
3 - 2003 Kopke White Colheita Port
Portugal Vineyards - £53.51
Blended in April 2004, and bottled in April 2022. Almost copper in colour. Concentrated dried fruits on the nose with underlying notes of chestnuts and hazelnuts. Wonderful layers on the palate of raisins, dried prunes, apricots with perfectly balanced acidity and a deeply complex richness, that comes together in a lushly deep finish that is wonderful to drink: there is a buttery component that takes over the senses. Simply outstanding.
Wine Trade News
Berry Brothers and the Symington Port Family make a bid for Hampshire’s Hambledon Winery. The price is believed to be £22.3m.
Following on from the arrival of Pommery Champagne in Hampshire, Taittinger in Kent, Freixenet in Sussex and Kendall-Jackson in Sussex, this is another potential entry from very respected players in the international wine industry.
Symingtons own a host of brands including Graham's, Warre's, Dow's, Cockburn's, Smith Woodhouse, Quinta do Vesuvio, and Gould Campbell.
Grape plantings in England and Wales continue to increase: recent figures from Defra show that grapes now represent 36% of England’s soft fruit crop, putting it ahead of strawberries and blackcurrants in second place (21% each) and raspberries (10%). It is estimated that there are now 4,300ha under vine, with that rising to 7,600ha by 2032.
Worrying news from Spain indicates that the grape harvest for Cava Sparkling wines is down between 35% and 55% from average yields due to extreme drought conditions this growing season.