Tawny port and Colheita
The republic of Portugal is located in the south western part of Europe and is surrounded by the opulent Atlantic Ocean on one side and by Spain on the other. The variety of geographical regions and diverse climatic factors added to the consistent mechanical resources available make it conducive to wine production. Portugal is one of the world’s largest wine exporters and it produces innumerable varieties of wines. It is however the Port wines which are the most popular among all. Tawny ports are a kind of Port wines.
Portuguese wine is well known worldwide and they are one of the premier wine exponents. There are various natural factors and mechanical processes which determine the production of superior quality wine. Certain wines which are grown in barrels are at times also referred to as ‘wood ports’. The Tawny ports are wines conceived by applying a similar process of maturing in barrels. They are wines made from red grapes and prepared by the consequent processes of evaporation and oxidation in course of being kept within the wooden barrels. Such preservation adds to the Tawny port a distinct flavor and a characteristic golden brown color. Tawny ports which have been matured in wooden barrels fro about seven years are also known as Tawny Reserve port. The low-priced forms of Tawny ports are young wines obtained from a mix of white and red grapes. These young wines are more often those which have hardly been aged in the wood ports.
Tawny ports are also available with age indications which refer to a intermingling of various vintages with the years of preservation being mentioned in the labels. Colheitas are Tawny port wines obtained from a single vintage. This term however is also applied to another kind of Portuguese wine called Madeira wines when they are produced from grapes of a single vintage.
