What's the difference between Tawny and Colheita?

[Lars F]

I know that tawnies with age are blended from different years and Colheitas are from one specific year, but what's the difference when it comes to taste.

If you compare a 10 year old tawny with a colheita which is also 10 years old, what would the difference be? Can you tell them apart if tasted blind?

-Lars

[Roy Hersh]

I think it would be very difficult for even the most talented Port professionals to blind taste a 10 year old, recently bottled Colheita and Tawny Port and be able to tell them apart with any certainty. I seriously doubt I could ... unless I recognized a specific Port which is pretty unlikely.

It would be a fun parlor trick to try though.

With LOTS of age I think it would be easier to tell them apart, but a 40 year old Tawny vs. Colheita ... again, I seriously doubt that even folks in the Port trade could consistently tell them apart with real accuracy.

Some would argue that a Tawny which is actually a blend from a multitude of vintages would be more complex ... while I know of folks in the Port trade that believe the Colheitas are where the real complexity is at.

[Marco D.]

I would agree with Roy that it would be tough to discern the differences on a 10 year wine. Maybe a bit easier with older wines (older Colheitas seem fresher to me than older Tawnies), but still difficult.

There was a recent thread on tawnies and colheitas that you might find interesting:
http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopfo ... php?t=3138