Kopke is to the Douro Valley what Trimbach is to Alsace, what Chave is to the Rhône—a gatekeeper of deep history and an untouchable niche. By the way, it’s “Cop-key,” and the Colheita style of Port is their wheelhouse since 1638.

For each Colheita release from Kopke, you can expect a fairly equal blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Barroca—four of the Douro’s famous indigenous grapes. These vines cling to the valley’s slopes, up to 600 meters, and live in a mineral dream of schist, sandstone, and granite. Fermentation takes place in traditional open-top granite vessels called lagares and is then halted after adding grape brandy, which boosts alcohol and leaves behind a goodly amount of residual sugar. Then, the grapes are blended and transferred into oak casks for no less than seven years. However, Kopke is renowned for continuing to age a small portion of each declared vintage in barrel for many decades: Every colheita on offer today was bottled within the last four years!

Food Pairings: soft cheeses and meats, cheesecake cake, and light appetizers.