What is Colheita?

• A. A ruby Port with no aging requirement.
• B. A non-vintage tawny port.
• C. A vintage Port aged entirely in bottle for 0 years.
• D. A vintage tawny port with a minimum of 7 years cask aging.

Answer: (D)

Colheita is a single-harvest (from one year's harvest) Tawny Port that spends a lengthy period aging in oak casks before bottling. The important point is the cask aging: it must be at least seven years, which gives Colheita its nutty, dried-fruit character and a sense of maturity. The year of the harvest is typically on the label, signaling its single-vintage nature.

This distinguishes Colheita from ruby Port, which is young and fruit-forward with little cask aging; from non-vintage tawny, which blends many years rather than a single harvest; and from vintage Port that spends time in bottle rather than in wood for the majority of its development. So, Colheita is best described as a single-harvest tawny Port aged in casks for a minimum of seven years.