Port isn’t just for Christmas

It feels inappropriately early to be writing about port – usually the stuff appears on wine pages only in the immediate run-up to Christmas, because that’s when most of us buy our only bottle of the year. Its unfortunate associations with red-trousered, red-nosed, Colonel Blazer types also makes it possibly the most unfashionable of drinks, but, as well as being a traditional essential with the festive cheeseboard, port is a diverse category that deserves attention at other times of year, too.

Dry white port, for example, is a useful standby to keep in the fridge, to serve with tonic or ginger ale for a lower-alcohol alternative to a G&T, or in place of vermouth in an outre martini, or to serve over ice alongside a plate of green olives. It’s also good to slosh into a sauce instead of white wine.

Red ports – ruby, reserve, LBV (late bottled vintage) and vintage – meanwhile, are most often recommended for the classic port-and-cheese match, but, at the risk of sounding sacrilegious, I think their tannins often clash, especially with blue cheese, and their undoubted charms lie elsewhere. Ruby port, all dense with berry fruitiness, is affordable and versatile, and is as happy with cold meats as it is with brambly fruit puddings or chocolate; chill it a little to take the edge off its sweetness. More complex and structured LBVs are also good with chocolate, as well as all those seasonal sweet treats involving dried fruit and/or nuts.

Vintage ports are the most revered and costly; bottled two years after harvest and at their best when cellared for at least 10 years more before drinking, they quickly oxidise and are past their prime just a few days after opening, which is fine for when there are many knees under the holiday table, but not so good if you want a bottle to dip in and out of from time to time.

Tawny port is aged in small barrels called pipes, where micro-oxidation stabilises it as its colour and tannins fade and those gloriously mellow, nutty, slightly spicy notes develop. Blended and bottled immediately before release, tawnies, unlike red ports, last for months after opening, in the unlikely event that need arises. Served slightly chilled, they are fantastically versatile too; they’re the best port to have with all types of cheese, and also work with salted nuts, charcuterie, earthy main courses and pretty much any wintery pudding you’d care to mention, especially if almonds, apples, caramel, custard or figs are involved; they’re also ace with a good sausage roll.

Aged white ports are harder to come by, but are well worth seeking out. Bottled from a single year and marked colheita (the term “vintage” is permitted on red port only), or blended from different vintages and labelled with the average age of the wines in the blend, they’re sweet and wonderfully luscious, and are saved from being claggy by a savoury, woody finish. Like tawny ports, they last for ages once opened, and should be sipped slowly and contemplatively with whatever takes your fancy. They are also, I might add, stupendous with stilton.

Four ports for everyday drinking

Quinta Pedra Alta White £17.65 Master of Malt ,18%. A touch sweeter than most dry whites, with candied peel, pineapple, mountain herbs and lemon zest notes. Fab with cheesy snacks.

Kopke 10-Year-Old White £32.99 Waitrose (on offer until 22 October, down from £37.99), 20%. Opulent layers of ripe peach and quince fruit, with hazelnuts, soft spice, and orange zest. Phwoar.

Quinta do Noval Black Ruby Reserve £22.38 Master of Malt , 19.5%. Slinky, black cherry fruit with a modern freshness; try it in a negroni instead of vermouth.

EH Booth 20-Year-Old Tawny £25 , 19.5%. Dried figs, marmalade, walnuts and vanilla, with a pleasing whiff of smoke. Great value.