I spent today in Vila Nova de Gaia with Sogevenius, a Port and wine company who own the brands Calem, Barros, Burmester and Kopke. The two winemakers, Francisco Goncalves (table wines) an Pedro Sa (Ports) took me through a tasting, of which the highlights were the old Ports.

Burmester Colheita 1937 was sensational, and the Kopke Colheita 1966 wasn’t far off. I was also impressed by some new white Ports from Burmester: a series of 10, 20, 30 and 40 year old blends, which haven’t yet been released.

We had lunch outside, looking across the river to Porto. It was a beautiful day, and the food was good. And we got a chance to drink some of the 1937 Colheita and the 40 year-old white Port, too. Sweet as, as my Kiwi chums would say.