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Colheita Port
Colheita Port is a port from a single vintage that ages for years in cask. Unlike vintage port it matures in wood rather than bottle, for at least seven years and often far longer; the bottling year appears on the label.
Our range includes Colheita Ports by producers including Taylor's, Graham's, Niepoort, Kopke and Krohn. If you would like to explore Portugal further, you will also find Vintage Port and Tawny Port in our range.
What is Colheita Port
Colheita is a tawny port from a single vintage. The word means harvest in Portuguese. Whereas most tawnies are a blend of several vintages, a Colheita carries the year of harvest on the label. The wine comes from the Douro, like all port, and is fortified with grape spirit, which makes it sweet and powerful. The colour ranges from amber to mahogany, and the flavour shows nuts, caramel, dried fruit, orange peel, spices and toffee.
Ageing in wood
The defining characteristic is the long ageing in wooden casks, often for years and sometimes for decades. Through slow contact with air the wine oxidises, becomes softer and develops complex notes of nuts and dried fruits. Only when the producer judges the wine to be ready is it bottled; the label shows the year of harvest and the year of bottling. This differs from Vintage Port, which is bottled early and matures in the bottle.
Classification and rules
Colheita falls within the tawny category of port and is overseen by the Portuguese port institute, which monitors the rules on vintage, ageing and labelling. It is a distinct style alongside Ruby, LBV and tawny with an indication of age. The vintage must match the grapes in the bottle, and the wine must demonstrably have spent a longer period in wood.
Serving
Because the wine has already been bottled at the desired moment, it is ready to drink and does not need further ageing. There is usually little sediment, so decanting is not necessary. Serve a Colheita slightly chilled, at around 12 to 16 °C. Thanks to its oxidative style, an opened bottle stays good for quite some time. The wine goes well with crème brûlée, nut tart, apple pie, foie gras and older hard cheese.
Producers in our range
These producers feature in our Colheita Port range: Taylor's (Single Harvest and Very Old Single Harvest), Graham's (Single Harvest), Niepoort, Kopke, Krohn and Constantino.
More from Portugal
You will find more wines from Portugal under Vintage Port and Tawny Port.