A single-vintage tawny from Portugal’s oldest port house, matured patiently in wood until it glowed amber.
At a Glance
| Producer | Kopke |
| Wine | Colheita |
| Vintage | 1998 |
| Type | Fortified |
| Grapes | Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão |
| Region | Douro, Portugal |
| Appellation | Porto DOC |
| Drinking window | Drink now through 2035 |
| Serve at | 14-16 C |
About This Wine
Kopke’s 1998 Colheita is a Single Harvest Tawny Port — the wine of one specific year, aged in oak casks until bottled to order. Unlike Vintage Port, which is bottled young and matured in glass, a Colheita spends decades quietly evolving in wood, taking on nutty, dried-fruit and spice complexity as it slowly oxidises.
The 1998 vintage in the Douro was a warm, dry year that produced ports of good ripeness and balance. Bottled after long cask ageing, this wine reflects the classic Kopke house style: fresh acidity threading through layers of caramel, dried orange, walnut and gentle spice.
Presented here in Kopke’s signature dark wooden gift box with the gilded C.N. Kopke seal, it is a wine designed both as a keepsake and as a slow indulgence — a serious tawny from a house that has been making Port longer than almost anyone else.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep amber with olive-tinged rim, bright and luminous.
Nose: Dried figs, walnut, candied orange peel, caramel, cinnamon and a whisper of cedar and old wood.
Palate: Medium-bodied and silky, with concentrated flavours of toffee, dried apricot, roasted nuts, orange marmalade and clove. Sweetness is well framed by lively, almost saline acidity.
Finish: Long, warming and layered, closing on nutty caramel, dried citrus zest and a lingering hint of spice.
Rating
The Vintage
1998 in the Douro was a warm, dry growing season producing concentrated, well-balanced wines; while not a declared Vintage Port year for all houses, it yielded excellent material for Colheitas and tawnies.
Food Pairings
- Crème brûlée or crema catalana — echoes the caramel and citrus notes
- Aged hard cheeses such as Comté or vintage Gouda
- Walnut tart or pecan pie
- Dark chocolate with orange
- A quiet glass with a good cigar
Serving & Cellaring
Not required, but decant gently if there is any fine sediment; serve from a small decanter or straight from the bottle.
Colheitas are bottled ready to drink and do not improve significantly in glass. Once opened, it will keep well for 6-8 weeks resealed and stored cool.
The Winery
Founded in 1638 by Cristiano Kopke, C.N. Kopke is the oldest port wine house in the Douro. Now part of the Sogevinus group, Kopke is especially renowned for its Colheitas — single-vintage tawny ports aged for extended periods in seasoned oak casks in the lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia. The house style favours elegance, freshness and remarkable aromatic complexity, and Kopke’s cellars hold one of the deepest reserves of old Colheitas in the world.