Grape Crush – Port

Martin Wine Cellar Wine Department Manager Ian McCaffery recommends trying ports from Warre (pronounced “where”), a top producer and the oldest of Portugal’s many English-owned port companies, founded in 1670.

Warre’s Warrior Ruby port, $18.99

Warre’s Otima 10-year Tawny, $26.99

Warre’s Late Bottled Vintage 1995, $28.99

Warre’s Quinta de Cavadinha, $42.99

Warre’s Vintage 1980, $102

The sweet, concentrated and diverse flavors of port are a slam-dunk during the holidays, when festive moods invite something extra at the end of the meal. Served with dessert or solo, ports are cozy and intense, a great match for both cold weather and robust menus.

But ports can be confusing, and staring at a shelf-full, where bottles sport a variety of unfamiliar subheadings, can leave you scratching your head.

“There are four basic categories of port: vintage, ruby, tawny and white,” says Ian McCaffery, wine department manager at Martin Wine Cellar. “Vintage ports are the best, but are also the most expensive. These ports come from the very best grapes from one vintage.” Like Champagne, not every year is “declared,” so you’ll only find vintage ports from certain years.

Ruby ports, which get their name from their bright red hue, are of lower-quality fruit and have been aged in oak for two years.

“They should taste very fresh and fruity,” McCaffery says. Good ones tend to pair well with chocolate desserts.

Tawny ports come from a blend of grapes over several vintages. They’re aged in oak for varying numbers of years, usually 10, 20, 30 or 40. “These wines have a completely different taste profile,” McCaffery says. “They tend to have an almond or nutty taste, or taste like a sweet sherry.” Tawny ports are sometimes paired with cheese, nuts, dried fruits and desserts that exhibit nutty or caramel flavors.

Finally, white ports are made with white grape varietals instead of red. McCaffery says drier ones can make good aperitifs.

Port is classically paired with Stilton, the English blue cheese, but the right port can bring out the best in certain sweets, says James Ward, Juban’s Restaurant wine and beverage director. Juban’s serves a range of ports, and Ward and his staff have begun encouraging diners to experiment with them and other dessert wines.

“We find as people learn more about them, they have as much fun pairing them with dessert as they do other wines throughout dinner,” Ward says.

With Juban’s rich, mousse-like chocolate pâté, Ward pairs the 2000 Taylor Fladgate Vintage port, which features black currant and cassis in its flavor profile. And the nutty characteristics of the Ferreira 20-year Tawny port play well with Juban’s pecan pie, Ward says.

Port can be pricey, but there are good deals out there, McCaffery says, particularly in “single quinta” ports, generally produced in years when a vintage has not been declared, and in late-bottled vintage ports (LBVs), good ruby ports aged in oak four to six years. “This category provides some good value,” McCaffery says. “You can typically find something in the low- to mid-20s for retail.”

With its high alcohol content—around 18% to 20%—port calls for its own diminutive stemware. Serve it in port glasses or cordials.