Kopke Colheita 1976

Every wine tells a story. Kopke’s Colheitas, however, tell a unique story. Every wine tells a story. Kopke’s Colheitas, however, tell a unique story. To taste a wine is to taste history and, in the case of this 1976 Colheita, it means remembering a remarkable event like the awarding of the Knokke-Heist International Prize for Poetry in Belgium to the Portuguese writer Miguel Torga.

Grape Varieties: Traditional Douro varieties.

Tasting Notes: A vivid amber colour with golden hues. Enticing on the nose, mellow, remarkably complex, and laden with the rich aromas of condensed milk, vanilla and coffee. On the palate, it is complex, unctuous and shows good structure. A wonderfully balanced wine with an enduring finish.

Vinification and Ageing: Harvested by hand at their optimum point, the grapes are destemmed, crushed and vinified according to a process that is based on a careful maceration with extraction of color, tannins and aromas from the skins, complemented by permanent pumping over during fermentation. This takes place in mills, at a controlled temperature between 28-30ºC, until reaching the desired Baumé degree. At this stage, the wine spirit is added (benefit), resulting in a fortified wine. High quality wine, from a single harvest. It ages in wood for variable periods of time, never less than 7 years, and is then bottled according to market requests.

Recommendations: Slightly refreshed, it expresses all the finesse and sophistication when combined with desserts based on caramel, nuts and spices, such as caramel fondant with apple and ginger jelly, tarte tatin, creme brulée and medium-intensity cheeses. Serve at a temperature between 12 and 14ºC.

Winemaker: Carlos Alves

Bottled in 2024