The Noble Writ: A Port for Every Storm, Part 2

When it comes to matching port and food, I tend to keep things very simple. The "classic" partner is Stilton, but I find this to be an overpowering match that wastes both a fine cheese and a fine wine. If you're going to do it, let the cheese be the star and go with something simpler, like the Fonseca Bin 27 from last week's post.

Cheese can work well, and it's my most common match, but I favor something milder with port. Talk with your friendly cheesemonger. My highest recommendation on this front is to see Simon Lehrer at the Wine Merchant in Clayton. See what is eating well that is neither too creamy nor too pungent, and you'll likely find a fine match to your port.

Despite being generally sweet, I find ports to have limited utility with dessert courses. The problem with matching wine and dessert is that the dessert needs to be less sweet than the wine, and not-too-sweet desserts are something we seem to struggle with in this country. If the dessert is sweeter, your port will taste sour and/or bitter. The high alcohol that ports carry also causes pairing problems for my palate. They just taste hot to me.

So where does this leave me? In one of those rare situations where I choose to savor a wine all by itself, though a roaring fire and a good book certainly aren't unwelcome.

Dave Nelson is the author of the blog Beer, Wine and Whisky. He writes about wine for Gut Check every Tuesday.