KOPKE 10 YEAR OLD WHITE PORT

Tasting notes:

An appealing gold colour. Elegant and complex, with aromas of spice, prevailing notes of dried fruit and elegant hints of wood. Smooth and round on the palate, it shows complexity amidst intense flavours of dried fruit.An excellent finish.  

About the wine:

Its fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats, where the grapes macerate and are churned with their skins on, at temperatures between 16-18oC, to produce a white wine full of colour and structure, able to sustain prolonged ageing in oak. The fermentation is halted by adding grape brandy, creating the fortified wine. A wine of high quality, made by blending wines of different harvests to achieve the array of sensory qualities that are typical of these aged white wines.The wines mature in oak casks for variable periods of time, with the average age of all the wines in the blend defining the age on the label.The resulting blend expresses the charac- teristics given by the ageing in wood.  

About the producer:

Established in 1638 by Christiano Kopke and his son, Nicolau Kopke, who came to Portugal as representatives of the Hanseatic League, the House of Kopke is the eldest 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. Some of its members were deeply involved with the Oporto trade, mainly in the 19th century, when Joaquim Kopke, entitled ‘Barão de Massarelos’, took part in most economic activities.

The Company was sold to the Bohane family by the end of the 19th century, who tried to run it from London where they had most of their economic interests. The distance and the two World Wars disabled the control of the Company and they decided, then, to sell it. In 1953 and after some negotiations, the Barros family, whose leader was then Manuel Barros, bought the House of Kopke and since then it belongs to its Group. In fact, Manuel Barros was connected with the export and commercialisation of Port Wines since his youth. After becoming a partner of Barros, Almeida & Cª, he bought other firms such as: Hutcheson, Feuerheerd, and Feist, all of them old Port Wine exporters. Manuel Barros and his sons, João and Manuel, ran the company until the middle of the seventies, trying to increase even further the image of its wines and developing an important agricultural unity in the Douro District. Its centre is ‘Quinta S. Luiz’ where a great work of modernization is being made, together with the development of new vineyards planting the best varieties known.

In June 2006, the Sogevinus Group extended its influence throughout the Port Wine sector through the acquisition of C. N. Kopke. Nowadays Kopke is the oldest Porto Wine brand and assumes the leadership in the ‘Porto Colheita’ category.

Food match:

Served chilled, it is an elegant aperitif. Wonderful with rich starters, such as foie gras, vol-au- -vent, scallop gratin or mushroom risotto. Being remarkably fresh despite the age, it is ideal with a crème brulée, a crispy crepe with custard or a spicy apple crumble. Goes perfectly with blue cheese, such as Stilton. Equally delicious on its own. Best served at a temperature between 8 and 10°C.