For The Love Of Port

Need a little help please. I have a Calem Colheita 1987 reserve port that was gifted to me some time back. I really enjoy port, but as you will tell I am no expert. I was thinking of enjoying this bottle on its 30th anniversary but did not want to do so if it was a special vintage that I should save. Any help in is greatly appreaciated. Thanks!

Hi Kevin, welcome to FTLOP!



A Colheita is a tawny Port, which means it was aged in wood and bottled when the producer felt it was ready to drink. That means that for the most part, they're not meant to be kept in bottle and are intended to be consumed within a few years after bottling. You should be able to find the bottling date (probably just the year) somewhere on the back label.

That's just a general rule of thumb, though. A few producers - Niepoort being the most vocal about it - believe that their Colheitas can and do age well in bottle. I tend to prefer Colheitas from just about any producer with a few years of bottle age. But others here on FTLOP will tell you that they start going downhill the day after they're bottled so you should drink them ASAP.

Note that even if they do "go downhill" after being bottled, they're not really going bad. Your Colheita will be delicious whenever you choose to drink it, but it will be slightly different if drunk right away or if drunk after many years in your cellar.

1987 isn't really a special vintage, so unless that year means something special to you (it's my Anniversary year, for example) then there's no reason to keep it. I'd say go ahead and enjoy it this year!

Basically what Glenn said. Though I do have one question. How long have you had it and where has it been stored since you've had it? (if you can find the bottling year that would be helpful too)

Glenn and Andy,

Thanks for the welcome! And thank you for taking the time to reply and the information on the port!

The bottling year was 2001, so I am guessing that is not a good thing. And though I do not have a true Cellar to keep it in, I have kept it in a dark cool (~ mid 60°s) part of my home and regularly turned it along with several others that were gifted to me.

I have found information on the 1987 Calem Colheita, but nothing on the "reserve". Not sure if that is much of a distinction or not. In any case I am certainly going to enjoy this one soon.

Glenn, I also have bottles from our anniversary year (1994 Calem Vintage Port) and my birth year (1957 Porto Kopke Colheita) that I was hoping to open on special anniversaries (25th anniversary and 60th birthday). I am lucky enough to have a good friend in Portugal that takes care of my taste for port.

Thanks again guys for all the information and taking time to reply to this novice lover of port!

Take Care,

Kevin F. Labbe'

Hi Kevin,

It is a bit longer than would normally be expected, but as mentioned it shouldn't affect too much hopefully.

As for turning them, it generally is not advisable to regularly turn wine bottles. Best to just let them rest on their sides as undisturbed as possible. That allows any possible sediment to settle on one side. Then stand up carefully for a time before opening the bottle to allow it to settle to the bottom, then decant slowly and carefully into a decanter until just before the sediment starts to come out.

I've not had a 1994 Calem in some time, but it's pleasant from memory. The 1957 is a wonderful bottle, but don't age it for any lengthy amount of time.

"Reserve" is a term that is often wildly overused and often does not denote anything special. One of my pet peeves the wine industry as a whole is when they use this term for ordinary bottles they just want to sell more of by making it sound special. Just a word of generic warning when you see it, it may not mean much of anything.

Feel free to ask away, we're all here to learn from each other and be sure to let us know how your 1987 was when you open it

Kevin Labbe wrote:The bottling year was 2001, so I am guessing that is not a good thing. And though I do not have a true Cellar to keep it in, I have kept it in a dark cool (~ mid 60°s) part of my home and regularly turned it along with several others that were gifted to me.

It's really neither good nor bad. Or rather, whether it is good or bad will depend on your personal preference with regard to aging tawny Ports in bottle.

I don't think I have anything quite that old in my cellar, but I know I have a number of tawnies that were bottled in 2006. I think they're still great, so I'm sure yours will still be delicious as well.