Graham's 10 Year Old Tawny Port, 75 cl (Packaging May Vary)

Product Information

Red ports tend to spend fewer years ageing in wooden barrels or vats, which should give them a fruitier, more tannic profile and a vivid red-purple colour. Aged tawny is brilliant with stilton cheese, and very good with pumpkin pie, walnuts and milk chocolate dishes. When we taste tested port in 2021, we found some big brands shone, but a range of supermarket options also impressed our expert.* So don't discount supermarket bottles, as you might find a gem.

Ruby port is the youngest and cheapest style of red port. The best of these are bright, fruity and peppery. Ruby ports were the most variable, with some tainted by earthy rot flavours (see more below), while vintage, tawny and reserve ports generally fared better overall. Geosmin is a chemical compound that can give wines and ports an unpleasant, earthy odour, usually the result of using grape crops having been affected by rot. Vintage ports are the top-quality red ports from a single year – and only the best years. They’re aged in wood for just a couple of years. Unlike most ports, they have the potential to develop in the bottle (more on that later).

Late bottled vintage ports are of even higher initial quality, and are matured in wood for four or five years. You can find a range of ports at most major supermarkets, as well as specialist retailers. Supermarkets that sell port wines include:

It’s safe enough to drink, but if you’re sensitive to the smell, it can be offputting, and impacts the flavour of the drink. Store the bottle horizontally in a dark place with constant temperature, ideally between 12ºC and 15ºC.Port is often served in a dedicated port, sherry or dessert wine glass, which looks like a small wine glass. There is a tradition of giving port to a newborn to enjoy years down the line, once they’re old enough to drink it. However, the vast majority of port these days is sold to be consumed immediately, and very few will develop at all once they’re in the bottle – much less improve. You might think port lasts forever after it’s been opened, but sadly that’s not the case, though it differs by type.