Vintage Port Shop Blog

Colheita or Single Harvest Tawny Port. What’s the difference?

Posted 17 October 2023

by Vintage Wine and Port: Ben Read

The world of wine is full of terms that can be confusing if you are not familiar with them. Colheita is one such term – one we are often asked about. So what is a colheita Port? The literal translation of the Portuguese term ‘colheita’ is ‘harvest’. The Portuguese have traditionally used the term ‘colheita’ to describe a Port, aged in wooden barrels for 7+ years, that is solely from a single harvest year – all of the grapes used to make the specific wine were harvested in one single year. Hence the more anglicised term ‘single harvest tawny’ that is also sometimes used to describe certain Port wines.

2019 Vintage Port Declaration

Posted 3 June 2021

by Dia Grigoriou

2019 harvest at Sogevinus vineyards in the Douro

Although 2019 was a good vintage in the Douro, not all shippers declared a classic vintage. Those whose vineyards are situated in favourable aspect sites opted for a classic declaration whilst others focused their potential releases on ports from terroir driven plots. With no general vintage declaration, several major producers have announced single quinta vintage releases instead.

2018 Vintage Port Declaration

Posted 18 May 2020

by Dia Grigoriou and Tony Carter

Harvest at the Quinta do Noval winery. Credit: David Silverman/Getty Images

Shippers in the Douro announced that 2018 was another fabulous year for port wines. A few port shippers declared a classic vintage whilst others opted to declare their best single vineyard ports instead.

The declaration occurred in line with the tradition of declaring a vintage port on or after St. Gorges Day, 23^rd April each year.

The 2018s are showing things are heating up in the Douro. Proof is that some shippers offered a rare third consecutive year declaration for their Vintage Port, following the exceptional 2016 & 2017 vintages.

Accurately Dating Old Wines

Posted 21 February 2020

by Jamie Ashcroft

The forgery of wines has always been an issue, but recent stories like the Jefferson bottles have brought it more into the public eye. Nowadays the industry is fighting back with special seals and high-tech labels but thankfully, forgeries of aged wines are becoming easier to detect with the advancement of science.