The Perfect Cheese Pairing For Vintage Port Revealed

Port and cheese is a classic food and wine pairing. Port's comforting flavours, from sweet and fruity to deep and rich, are perfectly complemented by the saltiness and richness of cheese. However, not all cheeses go with all ports. When it comes to vintage port, a powerful cheese is needed to stand up to its strength. Aged, hard and spicy cheeses are a good match, as are intense, non-creamy blue cheeses such as Stilton or Roquefort.

Vintage Port and mature blue cheese

Port and cheese is a classic combination, and one of the most well-known and loved pairings is vintage port with mature blue cheese. This combination is a match made in heaven, bringing together the deep and rich flavours of port and the saltiness and savouriness of blue cheese.

Vintage port is a popular fortified dessert wine with a notably sweet taste profile, ranging from semi-sweet to sweet. It is made with top-quality grapes selected from a single vintage and is usually drunk old (15-30 years of age). It has a full-bodied flavour with notes of blackberry, black cherry, ripe raspberry, warm pumpkin pie spice, chocolate, coffee, fig, and smoke. The high-strung, abrasive tannins of youth mellow over time, resulting in a smoother, more mellow flavour.

Blue cheese, on the other hand, is a strong and salty cheese with a unique, tangy flavour. When paired with vintage port, the saltiness of the cheese balances the sweetness of the wine, creating a perfect harmony of flavours. The bold, snappy stench of odiferous blue cheese, such as Stilton, Roquefort, or Cashel Blue, marries the rich, silky textures of vintage port.

To elevate this pairing, consider adding some dried cranberries, prunes, and walnuts. These complementary flavours and textures will take the vintage port and mature blue cheese combination to the next level, providing a truly exquisite sensory experience.

When creating this pairing, it is important to choose a mature blue cheese. Younger blue cheeses may have a stronger, more pungent flavour that could overpower the port. Additionally, the texture of the cheese is important. A creamy blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola or Cambozola black, will have a smooth texture that matches the smoothness of the port.

Ruby Port and stinky blue cheese

Ruby Port is a simple, fruity, and youthful port generally intended to be consumed young. It has a fresh-faced nature, with raspberry and black cherry flavours, rich textures, and a sweeter style.

Pairing Ruby Port with a stinky blue cheese creates a spectacular yin and yang balance of sweet and savoury notes. The sweetness of the port is balanced by the saltiness of the blue cheese, and both are enhanced by the pairing.

While the classic pairing of a Vintage Port with a mature blue cheese such as Stilton or Shropshire is a bold combination, Ruby Port is a more affordable option that delivers a similar experience. A serviceable Ruby Port, like that from Quinta do Infantado, can be found for around $15.

For a more intense experience, pair a blue cheese like Jasper Hill Farm's Bayley Hazen with a bigger, bolder port. Alternatively, a cheese like Cambozola would pair well with a more reserved port.

LBV Port and goat's cheese

LBV Port is a versatile choice when it comes to cheese pairings. Its elegant, fruity notes and firm tannins make it an excellent match for goat's milk cheese.

Goat's cheeses with a thick, crumbly texture, such as Sainte-Maure or fresh Valençay, are particularly good options. As the cheese dissolves on the palate, the tangy, rich flavours merge sublimely with the ripe, opulent fruitiness of the LBV Port.

For a lighter pairing, a young, salty goat's cheese such as Bosworth Ash Log can emphasise the youthful fruitiness of the LBV Port. This combination works well as an aperitif.

If you're looking for a more indulgent pairing, Brillat Savarin, a triple cream cow's milk cheese from Burgundy, is a good choice. Its buttery texture cuts through the firmness of the LBV, enhancing the fruit aromas.

For a contrasting pairing, consider a mature, tangy cheese like Queijo da Serra, a Portuguese sheep's milk cheese. The savoury, tangy notes of the cheese complement the sweet, unctuous nature of the LBV Port.

When serving LBV Port with goat's cheese, it is best enjoyed slightly chilled, at around 55-65°F. The bottle should feel cool to the touch. Stored in the fridge, LBV Ports can last for a few weeks after opening.

White Port and goat's cheese

Goat's cheese, inspired by the complex nature of goat's milk, spans a wide variety of cheeses with bloomy rinds, each offering a different take on their milder cow's milk counterparts. White mould goat's cheese manages to balance contrasting flavours in a soothing fashion. Styles like Chèvre d’Argental are soft and creamy with mild and delicate profiles, whereas Goat Camembert and Goat Brie both deliver a sharper flavour followed by a tart finish.

Goat's cheese is moist and creamy, without a hint of graininess. Its flavour should be clean and fresh, mouthwateringly tangy but not astringent, lemony but also milky and balanced. Good goat's cheese has nowhere to hide its faults.

Aged goat's cheeses are buttery and mellow, with hints of lemon. Firm, aged, and rinded varieties offer flavours of nut skins and cooked milk—much more subtle than younger styles, which are more piquant and goaty; fresh chèvre is actually pretty intense.

White Port is a refreshing fortified wine that typically carries 18-20% alcohol. Expect citrus and stone fruit to carry over into the glass and Port’s trademark nutty, raisin, and spice influences will surface front and centre. Honeyed characteristics reveal a rich, smooth texture that is most often made in a dry to off-dry (and occasionally sweet) format.

Tawny Port and aged Manchego

Tawny Ports are aged in oak for a minimum of seven years, developing rich, smooth lines that support the yummy oxidised flavour profiles of age-designated bottles. They have an attractive amber colour, a smooth silky palate, and sublimely complex and opulent flavours.

Aged Manchego is a hard, salty, sheep's milk cheese with a strong flavour. The saltiness of the cheese is key when it comes to pairing with Port, as it balances the tannins in the wine. The rich, silky textures of the Vintage Port pair well with the bold, strong flavour of the aged Manchego.

When serving Tawny Port, it is best enjoyed cool (around 55-60°F). It can be easily stored, lasting up to a month once opened if kept in the fridge.

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