Why It’s ImPORTant to Have Port

 
 

3 kinds of Port with Christmas Cookies

What’s the trick to pairing wine with dessert? The wine has to be sweeter than the dessert. Why is it important to have port in the house this season? Port, the rich fortified wine from Portugal, pairs perfectly with holiday desserts like Christmas cookies and chocolate! So unless you are doing a cheese course for dessert, you’re going to have a hard time finding a wine that goes with dinner and dessert. That Napa Cab that was so good with that steak or that Chardonnay that was so tasty with the cesar salad or the lobster bisque just is not going to taste so good with that sweet dessert– the wine gets bitter or tannic or just yucky while the wine doesn’t do the dessert any favors. That’s where dessert wines like port come in. What’s also great is that because of the sugars in the wine and the process they are made many dessert wines and ports will last for a month or more and still taste great making them a worthy investment — and an investment they can be which also makes for a special holiday host gift. 

If you’re new to port, and want to learn more, or if you’re looking for a unique gift for a friend or a host,
consider W. & J. Graham’s Trio Port pack (SRP $55) which showcases three Ports in 200 ml sample sizes making them a great introduction to this style of wine.  W. & J. Graham’s began producing Port wines two centuries ago. Since 1970, the Symington family has owned it, with 10 Symington cousins responsible for every aspect of this B-Corp certified company. 
 

As the sun sets on 2024, it’s important to have port!

 
For a further introduction to Port wine, pairings, and production, check out these posts: 
For a true test of the compatibility of these wines with sweet desserts, Sue shared a selection of her Christmas cookies that she and her mom make every year. I can also attest that these Ports are great with cheesecake as well as carrot cake and the traditional holiday pies like apple, pumpkin, and pecan.

W. & J. Graham’s Trio Port pack

W. & J. Graham’s Trio Port pack SRP $55

  • Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port 
  • Graham’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port 
  • Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port
  • sample for my review 

Sue’s Holiday Cookies 2024 edition

 Sue’s Holiday Cookies

  • coconut macaroons
  • Italian Christmas cookies
  • butterscotch biscotti
  • honey nut clusters
  • chocolate peanut butter sandwiches
  • chewy coconut squares
  • baklava thumbprint cookies
  • peppermint bark
  • almond raspberry sandwiches

Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port

Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port 

ABV: 19.5% 
SRP: $55 for the trio
Grapes: blend
sample for my review

Back in the nineteenth century, an image of six grapes on a barrel meant Vintage Port potential, and in the early 1900’s, Graham’s chose wines from these barrels under the Six Grapes label to produce a high quality, full bodied, rich, juicy. 

Appearance:  Purple, violet, dense, garnet rim, 

Aroma: Raisin, prune, cherry, raspberry, violet, iris, earthy, rich loam, tree bark, menthol, cherry menthol 

Palate: Plum, prunes, stewed fruit, eucalyptus, mint

Pairing: The port tastes like a jelly donut when paired with the raspberry almond sandwich cookies as well as bringing out the lovely almond flavor in the cookie. So very nice with the butterscotch biscotti because the wine is sweeter than the cookie and all the butterscotch marries into the wine so nicely. The cookies and the wine are tamed down in sweetness, the wine even went with the peppermint bark which was quite sweet, but went beautifully with the wine. 

Graham’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port

Graham’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port 

ABV: 20%
SRP:  $55 for the trio
Grapes: blend
sample for my review

Graham’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port comes from the highest quality grapes from Symington Family Estates’ vineyards in the Douro Valley and benefits from aging in oak casks.

Appearance:  light in density, brandy, salmon, orange rim

Aroma: orange oil, bergamot, grand mariner, lovely earthiness, cherry, dirt, mud, salted caramel

Palate: Walnut, cherry, toffee, mocha,  cocoa nibs, coffee, light, salted caramel, orange peel, dark chocolate oranges that you get at Christmas time. 

Pairing: Great with the Italian Christmas cookies, alright with the peanut butter cookie but the peanut butter becomes very sweet and the cookie is quite dry with the wine, the honey nut clusters were beautiful with the wine, shortbread just works really nicely with this wine.

Graham’s 20 year tawny port

Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port

ABV: 20%
SRP:  $55 for the trio
Grapes: blend 
sample for my review

Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port combines blending, cooperage, and extended aging in seasoned oak casks until maturity. 

For those who find port cloying, or too sweet and heavy the 20 year port is not that yet the complex nutty finish goes on for a good long time.

Appearance:  Bronze, clear, copper rim, 

Aroma: Very woodsy, forest oak, acorn, maple trees in the fall, oak woodland in the fall, vanilla, caramel, herbaceous, sage, chamise, apple cider, mulled apple cider, cedar,

Palate: Dry, walnut, cherry cordial, mulberry, 

Pairing: I enjoyed the honey nut clusters on shortbread, Shortbread and port is a fantastic combination. it loves the buttery richness in the shortbread, the baklava thumbprints were a bit too sweet for the wine. The peanut butter sandwich cookies worked well with the wine. The Italian  Christmas cookies worked perfectly with the wine, it was not to sweet and both the wine and the cookie had a lengthy finish.

 

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