Surprising Tawny and Ruby Port Pairings to Enjoy All Winter Long
Editor’s note: As the holidays and cool weather approach, it’s prime time to enjoy Port. Contributor Kelly Magyarics encourages us to think beyond dessert with these savory partners for Portugal’s iconic fortified wine.
We can’t blame you if you automatically associate Port as a meal-ender; after all, it generally makes its appearance on the dessert menu. And while the pairing can be divine, a glass of ruby or tawny doesn’t have to accompany gooey molten chocolate souffle or slice of pecan pie. This winter, make it a goal to incorporate Port into savory seasonal fare.
Savory Port Pairings
“Port should be paired with rich and generous flavors to complement the intensity and concentration in the wine,” believes Rob Symington, director at Symington Family Estates http://www.symington.com and a fifth generation Port producer. This is especially true for tawny, ruby, LBV and vintage styles, which can easily overpower dishes. Andrea Morris, Beverage Director at Union Square Cafe http://www.unionsquarecafe.com in New York, agrees, adding that subtle spice in a dish like Dijon mustard or baking spices rather than, say, habaneros, can be a fabulous foil for the wine’s sweetness. The caramelized sugars released by roasting winter root vegetables like turnips, parsnips, carrots or sweet potatoes also complements tawny, ruby and vintage Ports.
“Port is one of the most versatile wines and can be paired with many kinds of food and consumed in many different moments,” says David Fonseca Guimareans, technical director and head winemaker for The Fladgate Partnership, which includes Port producers Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca, Croft and Kohn. While he doesn’t think you need to hold off uncorking a bottle until the sweet stuff—or cheese plate—arrives, he also doesn’t believe it can necessarily be paired throughout the entire meal from appetizer to dessert--that’s a bit extreme. No matter at what point of the meal you serve it though, portion size comes into play more than with other wine styles, since the abv hovers around 20%. Guimareans recommends just a few ounces (about half the amount of a glass of dry wine) served in well-proportioned, high-quality glassware. Most styles also benefit from a slight chill; serve tawny Port between 54 and 61 degrees Fahrenheit and full-bodied, fruity red Ports at 61 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tawny Port Pairings
Specifically, tawny Port’s inherent nuttiness was born for dishes with earthy ingredients like mushrooms, including coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon or mushroom ravioli topped with a cream sauce and garnished with sage. Bennett believes the baking spices and dried fruit found in braised lamb tagine mirror tawny’s flavor profile. And obviously dishes with nuts are a winning combination, including trout almondine with nutty brown butter served with crispy Brussels sprouts; Symington recommends roasted suckling pig with chestnuts.
Ruby & Vintage Port Pairings
Bennett views young ruby and vintage Port in the same vein as Napa Cabernet Sauvignon—intense, structured and fruit-driven—so it’s easy to sub it in this season next to short ribs braised in red wine and cinnamon or meat- and vegetable-based stews like earthy beef and barley and burgoo. “Ruby will complement most of the same flavors as a dry red wine, but the balance is different,” Morris says. She recommends a gamey meat like roasted lamb, using a little Port reduction in the sauce for a nice “bridge” to tie both together. Again though, overt spice will exacerbate the elevated alcohol level, so be judicious. Ruby styles also play nicely with fruit-based chutneys or sauces in meat entrees, just be sure to keep the rest of the dish savory to restrain the sweetness. Serve seared duck breast with a cherry reduction over parsnip puree, or venison loin topped with blackberry sauce over braised winter greens. “This is a great time to break out the vintage since the older a ruby port is, the less sweet it will taste,” Morris adds.
Here are some Ports for savory seasonal pairings:
Warre’s Otima 10 Tawny Port ($25), a perfect balance of dried fruits, oak spice and a lingering nuttiness.
Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port ($29.99), amber in the glass with dried apricot on the palate along with luscious caramel and an elegant finish.
Fonseca BIN 27 ($19.99), intensely colored in the glass and rich and sweet on the palate, with cassis and blackberry and a multi-layered complexity.
Warre’s Ruby Port ($20), a classic ruby, rich and fruity, with a full-bodied teeming with red fruits, a syrupy mouthfeel and slight smokiness.
Quinta Das Carvalhas Vintage Port 2016 ($75), with structured tannins and layers of dark fruits including blackberries and black cherries.