Kopke calls itself the oldest Port Wine House. Its founder, Nicolau Kopkë, arrived from Hamburg in 1636 and first shipped wine in 1638. Croft makes a similar claim from an earlier date, 1588, so treat oldest as each house’s own description.
What you taste
Casa Kopke sits on Avenida Diogo Leite in Vila Nova de Gaia, the riverfront strip facing Porto. Its published tastings are short and cheap, and two of the three are not Port at all:
- DOC São Luiz Red, €20.
- DOC São Luiz Reserve Red, €22.
- A €40 tasting that includes Burmester Sotto Voce and a Barros Colheita 1998.
The São Luiz reds come from Quinta de São Luiz, which Kopke bought in 1922. It sits in Tabuaço on the left bank of the Douro, between Régua and Pinhão, and now makes all of Kopke’s DOC Douro wines. If you have had enough sweet wine for one trip, a Douro red on the riverfront is a sensible change of pace.
The €40 option is the more interesting Port tasting. A Colheita is a single-vintage Tawny aged in cask for at least seven years, so a 1998 has spent a long time in wood, and with wines from Burmester and Barros on the table it is a tasting across houses.
Practical details
Casa Kopke is at Avenida Diogo Leite 312, 4400-111 Vila Nova de Gaia. Phone +351 915 848 484. Kopke does not publish durations for its tastings, so ask if you are fitting it between other visits. For how Colheita compares with other styles, see our guide to Port styles.
Canto Cooking is a commercial partner of Pinot Squirrel and we earn from bookings. Winery and lodge prices on this page come from each producer's own website.
Short on time?
Taste Sandeman, Graham's, Taylor's and Ferreira side by side in one hour, on the Porto side of the river.
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“Best of the Best” Port Tasting with Artisan Chocolates
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