So, is this a tawny or not?

[Robin Garr]

The label reads "Porto Kopke 10 Years Old Port" and the back label reads “Matured in wood, bottled in 2010, produced in the Douro demarcated region, Port wine.”

It sure sounds like a tawny, and it tastes like a tawny. But why aren't they calling it a tawny? Am I missing something obvious, or has there been a change in Port labeling conventions?

Yeah, that's a tawny. Maybe the labeling issue is an Iberian thing? Kopke (founded by Germans and best known for its aged colheitas) is now controlled by Sogevinus, which is a Spanish company (unlike Fladgate or the Symmingtons, which retain a very British aura). I find that when I go to a Portuguese restaurant and ask for a Tawny or Ruby, the staff, if not well versed in English, will sometimes look at me in a puzzled way. But they will sometimes ask "do you want an old port, maybe a 10 years?"

Hi Robin,
I believe there are three different styles (or classifications) of Tawny Ports.
Tawny Ports with no age indication; Tawny Ports with an age indication; and Single Vintage Tawny Ports (Colheita Port). Here’s a nice article from The Wine Lovers Page written by Jason Brandt Lewis.

http://www.wineloverspage.com/port/jbl030197.shtml

Salute

[Robin Garr]

Hi Robin,
I believe there are three different styles (or classifications) of Tawny Ports.
Tawny Ports with no age indication; Tawny Ports with an age indication; and Single Vintage Tawny Ports (Colheita Port). Here’s a nice article from The Wine Lovers Page written by Jason Brandt Lewis.

http://www.wineloverspage.com/port/jbl030197.shtml

Salute

Thanks, Victor. All good information, but my question is a little different: Why doesn't this one, presumably a Tawny Port with an age indication, show "Tawny" anywhere on the label? Not on the front, also not on the back. I think Joe may be on to something: "Tawny" is more of a term for labels in English-speaking export markets, and you don't see it so much in Portugal. Maybe Kopke is just old-school?

To confuse the consumers? Maybe Kopke wants to “separate” its “basic” bottles of “Tawny Port” (no age indication, possible aged in oak for only 2 to 7 years) from its’ more “premium” bottles of Tawny Port (with an age indication (average age of 10, 20, 30, 40 years old, possible older) or Vintage Tawny Port) by not including the term “Tawny” on the label of these wines. How many Porto producers label their “best” single vintage Tawny Ports “Vintage Tawny Porto” instead of “Colheita Porto”? Porto producers are trying to “separate” or “distinguish” their product from the “inexpensive” Ports (or non Porto wines) made in other wine growing regions that are now entering the market. “Tawny” is just a reference for the wine’s color. The term “Porto” indicates a “true” Port wine. (In the end, they are “Wood Ports” in the sub-category “Tawny Ports”).

Salute

I think Joe may be on to something: "Tawny" is more of a term for labels in English-speaking export markets, and you don't see it so much in Portugal. Maybe Kopke is just old-school?

But the label is clearly designed for the Engilsh-speaking world - it is in English. My guess is that their market research shows that those who cared would realise that this was a tawny; and that otherwise the word "tawny" results in fewer sales.

I emailed Roy and this is his reply....>

Sound brilliant and tell them because it is actually a Tawny Port from white grapes and it is a new category which doesn't include the word tawny but should have the word White on it somewhere. If not, there's a labeling issue.

[Robin Garr]

I emailed Roy and this is his reply....>

Sound brilliant and tell them because it is actually a Tawny Port from white grapes and it is a new category which doesn't include the word tawny but should have the word White on it somewhere. If not, there's a labeling issue.

Hmm, interesting. There's no mention of white grapes on the bottle, and as a matter of fact the wine is a Tawny that falls distinctly on the reddish side in appearance, bronze with a distinct purplish cast. I guess that could be a wood effect, but with all respect to Roy, I'm going to consider the jury still out. Perhaps Roy could do us the favor of a personal appearance ...

OK, to support my hunch, I went to this site, www.garrafeiranacional.com , which is a decent online shop based in Lisbon. If you go to the category "port wine" you will see that the aged tawnies are listed as "port 10 years old" etc. Looking at a few labels, they don't always use the word "tawny": e.g. Krohn 10 years old (another Sogevinus wine, BTW) or Ramos Pinto Porto 10 Anos (but then in small print underneath "Tawny Envelmecido en Casco"). So I don't think the word "Tawny" is always used, except in the descriptions, or as Victor points out, for the base level stuff.

Oh, and on the issue of Robin's wine being made from white grapes, the site above also sells the "Kopke White 10 Year Old Port", so it would be labeled as such.

[Robin Garr]

So I don't think the word "Tawny" is always used, except in the descriptions, or as Victor points out, for the base level stuff.

Yeah, that's my current hunch, too. Of course the Port industry has deep British roots in Portugal, but in 2011 it doesn't surprise me that the English word "Tawny" would be evolving toward optional.

So I don't think the word "Tawny" is always used, except in the descriptions, or as Victor points out, for the base level stuff.

Yeah, that's my current hunch, too. Of course the Port industry has deep British roots in Portugal, but in 2011 it doesn't surprise me that the English word "Tawny" would be evolving toward optional.

Is it possible that "tawny" is acquiring pejorative connotations? Colheita ports which only differ from tawnies in being the product of a single year are never labelled as "tawny". If the term were to disappear, it would be a pity because it describes the appearance of wood aged ports very nicely. Indeed why not extent it to French VDNs for their wood aged styles? Some of their producers already use "vintage" for their bottle aged wines.

MINI-RANT - Another word which has become pejorative and which labels seek to avoid is "demi-sec" and its equivalent in other languages (BTW what is the English translation?). Hence the proliferative of "dry" "sec", etc. wines which IMO would be better described as "demi-sec" or even "moelleux".

The terminology of Port has always been confusing; take the word Vintage being used to describe the flagship of the appellation, but also Late Bottled Vintage and Vintage Character.

I love good Tawnies, myself, plus they keep better in the open bottle.

Kopke does use the word Tawny as the title of one of their wines in bothe the English & Portuguese versions of their site, according to their website www.kopkeports.com - flash unfortunately so can't copy & paste of even give a URL to the right 'page'.

Regarding Tawny becoming optional as a term for Ports: the Portuguese have been fighting hard via the EU to keep descriptors including Tawny & Ruby exclusive to Port. Other countries (Australia/South Africa) phasing out the word 'Port' as part of EU trading agreements were told that they also couldn't use those words.

So the South Africans wouldn't even be able to call their wine, for example, 'Cape Tawny'.

I am not up to date with the negotiations but I think the EU has backed down on that point.

Robin wrote;
There's no mention of white grapes on the bottle, and as a matter of fact the wine is a Tawny that falls distinctly on the reddish side in appearance, bronze with a distinct purplish cast. I guess that could be a wood effect…

What about the not so fully understood phenomena of co-pigmentation? Could that possible explain the color of this “Tawny”?

Salute

MINI-RANT - Another word which has become pejorative and which labels seek to avoid is "demi-sec" and its equivalent in other languages (BTW what is the English translation?).

"Medium dry" is the EU official equivalent in English.

OK, just seen the 20 Anos Porto Messias, bottled in 2011. No "Tawny" anywhere on either label.

I'm going to be reporting today under Sweet Wine Focus on a Kopke 20-Year Port also not labeled as "tawny." I bought several of these from a retail shop in Raleigh.