Kopke Dry White Port NV
The lighter, dry side of a house that’s been fortifying Douro wine since 1638.
Grape Varietals & Region: A blend of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio and Malvasia Fina, traditional white Douro varieties grown at 600 metres altitude on schist-sandstone interspersed with granite, planted both in traditional horizontal terraces and, more recently, straight up the slope (“vinha ao alto”).
Taste Profile: A crystalline citrine colour with straw tones. An exuberant nose of tropical fruit and floral notes leads into a rich, balanced palate that’s smooth, genuinely dry and impressively structured.
Winemaking Process: Hand-picked at optimum ripeness, then given a slight maceration for colour and aroma extraction before pressing. Fermentation runs slowly in a running-off process in stainless steel at a controlled 1618C, interrupted partway through by the addition of grape brandy to fortify the wine. It then ages a minimum of 3 years across stainless steel and wood.
Winemaker: Kopke has been trading and, since 1781, producing Douro wine since 1638, when Nicolau Kopke’s Hanseatic trading house began shipping it out of Portugal. Dry White Port is a quieter, food-friendlier expression of the house style than its famous Tawnies and Colheitas proof that the world’s oldest Port producer didn’t stop innovating within its own category.
