Kopke

The age-old story of the Portuguese winery Kopke begins as early as 1636, when Nicolau Köpke settled in Portugal as a representative of the Hanseatic League. From that time, he shipped bottles of port to Northern Europe. Many years later, the company made the switch from buyer to producer. In the Douro region, a farm was bought and work was started on their own production. After almost three centuries, Kopke bought the Quinta de S. Luiz winery and its vineyards. Quinta de S. Luiz is located on the left bank of the Douro River.

Kopke currently owns 125 hectares of land, of which 90 hectares are destined for viticulture. Quinta de S. Luiz includes four other estates: Quinta da Mesquita, Quinta da Lobata, Quinta da Alegria and Quinta da Galeira. Each estate has its own vineyards with a unique terroir and they are located at different altitudes, with Quinta da Mesquita being the highest. The authentic vineyards of Quinta de S. Luiz itself are meant for Kopke's most iconic wines.

At Kopke, environmental protection is a top priority. That is why the winery has developed special viticultural models that make the vines both ecologically sound and economically profitable. The model consists of various strategies, techniques and collaborations with institutions such as Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro and the ADVID (Association for the Development of Douro's Viticulture). With this method, the winery is able to guarantee responsible quality.

The winery produces 55 different port wines and 4 different still wines. The main grape varieties used for this are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cão. The Colheita port is perhaps Kopke's most famous wine. This port is produced from one single harvest and continues to mature in wood until it is ordered to be bottled. More than half of the entire port production consists of Colheita port. The vintage port is only produced in very good years. These wines age for a maximum of 2.5 years.

When you think of port, you think of Kopke!