Values

Time, in the right hands, can do remarkable things. 

That magic is especially evident in Port, where extensive aging in barrel or bottle (depending on the type of Port) helps integrate the layers of flavors, tannins, and alcohol. Port is a unique category of wine where the tradition of fortifying the aggressively extracted wine with grape spirits requires the necessary time to rest and develop. Port is also a complicated wine with different labeling indications that reflect the different styles and flavor profiles. But most unfortunately, Port is often misunderstood as merely a dessert wine due to its sweetness and alcohol level (20%). Port should really be seen as a time capsule that has the ability to transport flavors of previous generations in a bottle.

At Kopke, one of the oldest Port houses in Portugal, they continue the legacy of producing traditional Port. They have an extensive inventory of aged Tawny Port (especially White Tawny Port, a very niche category of Port wine) dating back to the 1930s that are still maturing in their cellars, only being bottled and released when specifically requested. These wines are truly from another time, and have been handed down to the following generations to maintain and care for. 

As Carla Tiago, winemaker at Kopke, puts it, “…we are bottling wines that were made several generations ago. Our job is to take care of these wines made by the people that came before us, make sure they are maintained in proper conditions, and make new wines for the next generation.” 

Grape Collective talks to Carla Tiago about Kopke’s tradition, the different categories of Port, and her thoughts on the future of Port.

In the wine world, there are a lot of producers that come from multiple generations of grape growing and winemaking. To them, wine isn’t just a way of life, it is THE way of life. For Armando Castagnedi, co-owner of Tenuta Sant’Antonio in Valpolicella, this belief is the driving force behind the establishment of their business.

Armando and his three brothers grew up in a small village in the eastern part of Valpolicella, where their father Antonio was a grape grower for the local wine cooperative. The brothers worked with Antonio and as wine consultants for many years, but they also wanted to make their own wines and not just grow grapes. Their father never agreed. 

So, naturally, the brothers purchased a plot of land on Monti Garbi in 1989, and started Tenuta Sant’Antonio; the first vintage was 1995. 

In the business of wine, once a region establishes an identity, it can be hard for producers to venture past that boundary. But with Bodega Trivento (“Trivento”), one of Argentina’s most successful single varie...

With the pandemic receding in many parts of the U.S., your thoughts may be returning to a long-delayed visit to California’s Wine Country. If so, you should be aware of this: The tasting experience has changed and those changes, in many cases, will be permanent.