Vintage Port

What it is

Vintage Port comes from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal and is only made in years the producer judges exceptional and declares. Young, it is powerful, tannic and packed with dark fruit; after decades in bottle it gains notes of spice, leather and dried fruit. What sets it apart from other Ports is that it spends very little time in wood and develops almost entirely in bottle.

How it is made

Like all Port, it is made from red Douro grapes and fortified with grape spirit during fermentation, which leaves natural grape sugar in the wine. It spends only a short time in wood and is bottled unfiltered, so it throws a heavy deposit over the years. Vintage declarations must be approved by the Port regulatory body before the wine is sold.

What to serve it with

• Blue cheeses (Stilton, Roquefort)
• Dark chocolate
• Walnuts and nuts
• Red-berry desserts
• Aged sheep's milk cheeses

On the wine list

• Always show the vintage year and, where possible, offer bottles with some age: a very young Vintage can taste harsh.
• Decant it before serving to remove the sediment; staff should know how to do this carefully.
• Once opened it usually lasts only a few days, so selling it by the glass only makes sense with good turnover or for special occasions.