Colheita vs. LBV

[Paul G]

Hi Forum,

I hope you excuse this simple question, but what exactly would you suggest to be the difference between Colheita and LBV? Both are stored in barrels or pipes. An LBV maybe as long as a Colheita? Is it just the quality of the wine? Is the LBV made of better quality grapes? I somewhere read, that Colheita is a bit like a vintage tawny..

Thanks a lot and sorry, but I'm a noob.

Greetz Paul

P.S.: Sry for the english, but I'm from Vienna, Austria, So German is my mother tongue!:)

[Roy Hersh]

You will have many answers to this excellent question and I will sit back and watch the collective Port wisdom come your way.

I just wanted to say that there are no questions that we consider too simple or unworthy here, so don't be shy about asking whatever comes to your mind. I will check back here to make sure your question is answered, but I do want to give others a chance to participate here.

This is exactly the type of question that allows for great discussions and from a bunch of different points of view.

[Paul G]

Hi Roy,

thx a lot!:)

One of the first explanation I read was the one from wikipedia..:) And this question just popped up!:)

I'm very excited!

Greetz Paul

[Eric Menchen]

I hope you excuse this simple question, but what exactly would you suggest to be the difference between Colheita and LBV? Both are stored in barrels or pipes. An LBV maybe as long as a Colheita? Is it just the quality of the wine? Is the LBV made of better quality grapes? I somewhere read, that Colheita is a bit like a vintage tawny..

That last sentence is pretty much spot on. A colheita is a tawny from a single vintage. Now, to distinguish between that and LBV ... You are correct that both are stored in barrels/pipes for some amount of time. However, for the LBV, it is such a short amount of time that the wine really doesn't pick up tawny characteristics; thus an LBV IMHO is better put in the ruby family as opposed to the tawny family. According to the IVDP regulations, an LBV is aged in wood between four to six years. A colheita, by IVDP regulations, must be aged in wood for at least seven years, and most are aged for significantly more before being bottled.

I don't think I can make a definitive statement about one being made of better quality grapes than the other. This might vary from producer to producer, and it may be that some grapes make better colheita and some better LBV, without either being necessarily of a higher quality than the other.

Thanks a lot and sorry, but I'm a noob. ... Sry for the english, but I'm from Vienna, Austria, So German is my mother tongue!:)

No problem. Your English is much better than my German (most of which I forgot after being born there).

[Derek T.]

To add to Eric's description: LBV is normally aged in very large oak casks which limits the exposure of the wine to both the wood and oxygen. Colheita, like all tawny ports, is normally aged in smaller Pipes, which results in more rapid oxidation of the wine. This is what explains why a 7 year old Colheita will be far more "evolved" than a 6 year old LBV.

[Roy Hersh]

Come on ... let's show Paul the love. Where are the rest of you in possession of Port brilliance? We want to encourage great questions like this!

[Glenn E.]

Paul, willkommen zu FTLOP! Ihr Englisch ist viel besser als mein Deutsch. Ich verstehe noch Deutsch, aber nicht mehr spreche oder schreibe es gut.

I think Eric and Derek pretty much covered it.

Generally speaking (so not necessary 100% true in all cases):

LBV is a ruby Port, though I believe that the IVDP classifies it as a wood-aged Port. All of the grapes in a bottle of LBV come from the same year, which is mentioned on the label (usually prominently). It is aged in very large oak casks for between 4 and 6 years, then bottled and sold. (Vintage Port is aged for 18-30 months before bottling, thus the "late bottled" nomenclature for LBV.) The bottling date should be on the label. If unfiltered (aka traditional) it will age and improve in bottle for 10-20 years. If filtered, it is intended to be consumed right away so should probably be opened within 2-3 years. LBV is the second tier of ruby Ports, behind Vintage Port, and so typically gets the second best selection of grapes when made.

Colheita is a tawny Port. All of the grapes in a bottle of Colheita come from the same year, which is mentioned on the label (usually prominently) - "Colheita" is the Portuguese word for "vintage" or "harvest." It is sometimes aged in very large oak casks for a short time, but spends most of its life in 550 liter pipes where it continues to age until it is at least 7 years old. 7 years is just the minimum, though, and in practice Colheitas often age in pipes for decades. I have personally tasted 100-year old (all in wood) Colheitas. When bottled, Colheitas are generally intended to be consumed right away, though some can age and improve in bottle (Niepoort, in particular). As with LBV, the bottling year of a Colheita should be listed on the label. Colheita is the top tier of tawny Ports and so typically gets the best selection of grapes when made. Colheitas can be "declassified" and blended to make 10-, 20-, 30-, and 40-year Old Tawny Ports.