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Perfect Port Pairings

Food Matching

Port and stilton cheese has long been appreciated as a food match made in heaven, but did you know that port also goes well with many other foods?Our food selector below will give you some good ideas for which food goes with the different types of port - just click on each picture for some serving suggestions. Meanwhile, here are some quick ideas –

White Port

Mix white port with tonic, ice and a sprig of fresh mint for a G&T rivalling aperitif. Serve with roasted, salted almonds or a bowl of salty olives.

Tawny Port

A glass of slightly chilled tawny port, with its distinctive fruit and slightly nutty flavour, is an excellent match for puddings - think sticky toffee pudding.

Vintage Port

Save the vintage port for the cheese. Stilton, strong cheddar cheese, or any robustly flavoured cheese will make a splendid match with any port vintage.

Port and Nibbles

White Port and Nibbles

If you are serving nibbles and nuts, maybe a bowl of olives or two, before dinner try white port on your guests.  A generous measure of white port mixed in a long glass with ice, tonic and a slice of lime is a cool refreshing aperitif.

Tawny Port and Nuts

Alternatively try a chilled tawny port.  The taste is cleaner and crisper than a traditional red port and it works well with smoked almonds, salted popcorn, smoked salmon and other tasty nibbles

Port with Canapes

White Port Cocktails

A white port mixer of port, tonic and lemon, served chilled with ice, makes a lighter aperitif than a G&T.  White port works well with salted or smoked flavours - meats and smoked salmon for example.

Chilled Pink Port

A chilled pink port also works well with smoked salmon, cream cheese and crackers.

Port With Soup

LBV or Ruby Ports

These red ports are robust enough to work well with meatier soups, like oxtail or any tomato based soup

White or Pink ports

Their dry flavours make a good partner to creamy, rich soups, even gazpacho

Port with Seafood

White Port & Fish

Dry and white aperitif wines, as with ordinary table wines, are the best match for seafood. A glass of dry white port served chilled on its own is a refreshing drink with prawns or lobster.

Port and Dessert

Tawny Port

The very character of these ports is dried fruit, nuttiness and caramel meaning they are a natural partner to dessert.  For tawny I like something like a sticky toffee pudding and custard - the dates in the pudding go hand in hand with tawny flavours.

Colheita Port

Similar to tawny, the colheita also works well with crème brulee or nut based desserts, like hazelnut praline.

Late Bottled Vintage

For chocolate-based desserts try Late Bottled Vintage port or Ruby Reserve port, something robust enough to cut through the chocolate.

Port and Cheese

Vintage Port & Stilton

Stilton goes supremely well with vintage port, but you could also match it with roquefort or strong mature cheddar. Keep the cheese selection simple and serve with grapes or apple slices.

LBV or Ruby Port

These also work well with blue cheeses like Oxford Blue, gorgonzola or a good Double Gloucester.  Crusted Port is also a great partner to strong cheese with its vintage style.

Tawny Port

Works very well with milder cheeses like Brie or a mature Camembert (the smelly kind you might want to keep outside in the shed) Madeira, Port and Cake.

Port, Madeira and Cake

Madeira Wines

Try a glass of madeira instead of a cup of tea and serve it with some fruitcake and you'll discover a very enjoyable and indulgent combination.

Tawny Port

Tawny flavour is typified by raisins and caramel so cakes with a similar character will make a good match.

Port at Christmas

Vintage Port

Christmas pudding with its intense fruitiness makes a great match with vintage port. The vintage also follows on well with the cheese and biscuits. Try a Crusted port as a good alternative.

Colheita Port

With it's ripe dried fruit flavours Colheita works well with mince pies or Christmas pudding. The port's raisiny, nutty character really stands out with these dishes

Port With Coffee

Tawny Port

For something unusual try dunking Italian Biscotti into an Aged Tawny port – the biscuit's nutty taste goes well with the Tawny's own nutty character.

Vintage Port & Cigars

If there really is no room to spare then coffee with Vintage port (and a cigar if you're a smoker) makes a splendid end to the meal.

 

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