With the arrival of the holiday season and the chill of winter, nothing warms like a 20 Years Old Tawny Port with a full-flavored blue cheese. What makes the two work so well together? Well unlike your typical Ruby Port, more fresh and fruity, a Tawny Port has spent more time relaxing in oak casks. A 20 Years Old port has been exposed to extra oxygen through the porous wood, which results in a more, uh, tawny or brownish color and flavor to match: think toffee, toasted nuts, dried fruit. Sometimes a wine compliments a food and sometimes it provides contrasting relief. But this Port, made by Sandeman, seems to do both. It works with the rich creaminess of the cheese, while the sweetness of the Port balances the aggressive bent of the blue. If you really want to send this pairing into the stratosphere, add some raisins and walnuts to your cheese plate. It's optional, but I also recommend a crackling, atmospheric fire and an a cozy chair.
Full disclosure: This wine was sent to me as a sample.
Can't get enough blue cheese? Neither can we.
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