As the world has increasingly fallen in love with tawny Port, the release of long-aged examples has become relatively commonplace. But a trio of remarkable expressions from Kopke includes a couple of unique historical curiosities, as Richard Woodard discovers. It’s reassuring that, even if you’ve spent decades in and around wine, just now and again something comes along that makes you stop, scratch your head and ask the question: “Where the hell did that come from?” The Library Collection from Kopke – famed as the oldest Port wine house, founded in 1638 – provides not one but two of those moments: century-old bottlings of a vermouth and a quinine (or quinado), alongside a Very Very Old tawny Port blend dating back to 1890. The £3,000 trio of bottles, packaged, appropriately enough, in a case resembling an old library book, constitutes a time capsule of Port winemaking from 100 years ago and more, with 385 sets available globally. “These wines continued to age in our cellars at Vila Nova de Gaia for a minimum of 100 years in barrel,” says Carlos Alves, master blender and winemaker at Sogevinus Fine Wines, owner of Kopke. “This is unique. I believe it’s not easy to find this in another region in the world, that they have this capacity to age. It’s our legacy.” It would be easy for the Very Very Old tawny expression to be overshadowed by the historical curiosity value of the others, but this blend of wines ranging in date
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Fine Wine
