Ageing Colheita

[Nikolaj Winther]

I've read somewhere - probably in a danish wine-magazine - that colheita-wine would continue ageing after it'd been bottled.

The source was supposedly Dirk van Niepoort.

Have any of you heard or experienced anything like that?

[Frederick Blais]

A question that has been debated often on the boards. Yes some Colheita do evolve and some gain complexity and are enhenced doing so.

Niepoort, Noval, Krhon, Kopke are some examples. Look for a regular cork, it is a good indicator.

I had only twice the chance to taste a 15+ years of age in bottles with a Niepoort Colheita and I have to say that these where in my top 3 best colheita along with a Noval 1974.

Look in the article archives of Roy Hersh, he did a tasting with some NIepoort old Colheita with many years of bottle age.

[Jay Woodruff]

I'd still like to taste some Colheitas from the same year that were bottled decades apart. I think it would be very educational.

[Nikolaj Winther]

Hi Fred,

Thanks for the tip. I actually do own colheitas with long corks. Burmesters Colheita 1987. It's an exellent port, and I only have two bottles left. I guess I'll be keeping them for a while.

[Roy Hersh]

Jay, I have discussed this same experiment with Jason Brandt Lewis. It would be fascinating.


Nikolaj,

In the aforementioned article, I mention this topic directly, and give tasting notes on both very old Colheitas as well as Garrafeiras by Niepoort.

[Nikolaj Winther]

Thanks Roy, will do so right away.

[Frederick Blais]

Nikolaj, you may also want to read this topic that was started a few months ago about colheita :

http://fortheloveofport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51

Roy, whenever you organizer such a tasting, I'm in for sure! I don't have many colheitas but surely one that can fit in the tasting.

Fred