Port is a difficult wine to pair with meals due to its excessive sugar and alcohol content material. Consequently, it’s typically loved in small sipping portions alongside sturdy cheeses, darkish chocolate, dried figs, nuts, or caramel-based desserts. The concept for this Port dinner originated when a couple of buddies—frequent company at my pairing dinners and Port aficionados—and I made a decision that they might pull high-end bottles from their cellars if I designed a menu to match. I noticed this as a chance to push the boundaries of how Port is usually loved. It turned a strategic problem: architecting a full menu the place each course, from starter to dessert, pairs with a special fashion of Port with out overwhelming the palate or repeating the identical taste profiles.
Earlier than we dive into the menu, let me briefly introduce the three essential types of Port: white, ruby, and tawny. Whereas many sub-styles and variations exist, the flavour profiles inside every essential class stay broadly related.
All Port is created by halting alcoholic fermentation earlier than the grape sugars have totally transformed. That is achieved via fortification with grape spirit (aguardente), bringing the alcohol content material to between 19% and 22%. This course of typically leaves roughly 100 grams per litre of residual sugar, although white ports are additionally produced in drier types—with “additional dry” variations containing lower than 40 g/l.
Each Ruby and Tawny ports start their lives in oak barrels, however their getting old paths diverge. Ruby ports are bottled after solely a short interval in wooden and proceed to develop within the glass. Conversely, Tawny ports stay within the barrel for prolonged intervals and don’t evolve additional as soon as bottled; consequently, they’re finest consumed shortly after launch. This distinction between getting old in glass versus wooden facilities on oxygen: Ruby ports are shielded from oxidation to retain major fruit aromas, whereas Tawny ports are aged oxidatively to deliberately develop notes of nuts, dried fruits, and caramel.
The head of the Ruby fashion is Classic Port, sourced from a single yr. These wines are initially excessive in tannins with intense fruit, softening and evolving over 30 years or extra of bottle getting old. Essentially the most prestigious Tawny is usually a mix of a number of years with an age indication of 30, 40, and even 50 years. These are prized for his or her mellow complexity and consistency, as mixing permits the home to take care of a signature prime quality. Whereas single-vintage Tawnies (referred to as Colheitas) exist, they’re typically seen as much less prestigious. Lastly, White Port is made out of white grapes and ranges from fruity, Ruby-like types to oxidative, barrel-aged variations. Easy White Port is mostly loved as a protracted drink, blended with tonic water.
To pair meals with port, we have now to think about the next.
As a result of Port has a powerful taste profile, we should search for meals that may stand as much as it; in any other case, the wine will merely overpower the dish. Sweetness in meals decreases our notion of a wine’s physique, sweetness, and fruitiness. Since Port is wealthy in all three, a level of sweetness within the dish is important to ‘tame’ the wine.
Umami in meals will increase the notion of astringency in wine, so we should keep away from extreme umami flavors when pairing with youthful Classic Port. This impact may be counteracted by salt, which decreases the notion of astringency. Because of this Classic Port pairs so properly with aged laborious cheeses, because the salt compensates for the excessive umami ranges.
Acidity in meals decreases the notion of acidity within the wine. As a result of Port already has comparatively low acidity, dishes with excessive acidity are typically off the desk. Lastly, chili warmth will increase the notion of the burning impact of alcohol. This makes it a poor match for Port, which already carries a excessive danger of inflicting that precise sensation.
With these ideas in thoughts, I designed the menu. After reviewing my buddies’ collections, I chosen a 2007 Classic together with 30- and 40-year-old Tawnies to showcase the 2 major types at their peak. I additionally contributed a 1994 Classic from my very own cellar. To start the night on a lighter observe, I selected an additional dry white port.
White made me consider seafood and port made me consider blue cheese, and so it didn’t take me lengthy to come back with Moules au Roquefort. Mussels in a creamy blue cheese sauce might sound unconventional, however it’s a basic mixture typically present in Southern France. I used to be initially skeptical when a good friend prompt it, however after getting ready it myself, I used to be satisfied. The recipe has since turn into a preferred staple on my weblog.
Whereas this dish may actually pair with a fruity, full-bodied dry white wine, it coexisted superbly with Taylor’s Chip Dry. Regardless of the identify “Further Dry,” this Port carries extra sweetness than a normal dry wine, offering the required physique to match the wealthy, salty sauce with out both ingredient overpowering the opposite.
When utilizing common wine, one of the best development for a menu is to start out with youthful, fruitier wines and transfer towards extra aged ones. The identical holds true for Port, which means Classic must be served earlier than Tawny. To pair with Classic Port, I sought out pink meat to neutralize the tannins and a dish with sufficient complexity to match the wine’s advanced aromas.
This led me to duck breast with a Port demi-glace. The sauce is made with duck inventory and Ruby Port, enriched with star anise. I served this with easy steamed haricots verts and parsnip ‘planks’—parsnips roasted within the oven underneath a heavy weight in order that they caramelize and compress right into a flat form. The inexperienced beans present a impartial ingredient on the plate, whereas the pure sweetness of the parsnips enhances the sweetness of the Port.
The sauce is ready by sautéing shallots, garlic, recent bay leaves, thyme, and star anise in duck fats. As soon as the shallots are smooth and golden, the pan is deglazed with Ruby Port. It is very important scale back the Port slowly to keep away from a pointy edge, or higher but, to burn off the alcohol first in a separate saucepan by bringing it to a simmer and lighting it with a match; this prevents the star anise from burning whereas the alcohol flames off. As soon as the Port has lowered by half, I add an equal quantity of duck inventory and proceed to cut back. After filtering out the solids, the liquid is lowered additional till it reaches a syrupy consistency, seasoned solely then with salt and freshly floor black pepper. (I adopted kind of this recipe for the duck and sauce, clearly changing the pink wine with port.)
The ensuing sauce is mildly candy but hearty. I created this dish particularly to harmonize with Classic Port, and it was doubtless probably the most profitable pairing of the night. The duck and sauce have been sensational with the 1994 Classic Port, as each shared a refined magnificence that allowed them to turn into much more complicated collectively. The 2007 Classic Port was a bit too daring nonetheless, with highly effective fruit and tannins that barely overwhelmed the duck, although it labored splendidly when mixed with the caramelized parsnip and sauce.
Since my Port-loving buddies additionally get pleasure from Wagyu beef, and its attribute richness naturally enhances Port, I needed to include it into the menu. To introduce a candy observe—and as a nod to the meat’s Japanese origins—I made a decision on Wagyu Teriyaki. I ready a basic Teriyaki sauce by lowering equal quantities of sake, mirin, and Japanese soy sauce with a small quantity of sugar.
I sourced Wagyu strip steaks from a neighborhood farm—not the best grade, however glorious high quality and regionally produced. After vacuum-sealing them with the marinade for a couple of hours, I cooked them sous-vide for 2 hours at 52°C (125°F). As soon as that they had cooled to room temperature, I seared them on the fats cap first to crisp it up and render the fats. I then briefly seared the edges, added the marinade from the bag, and basted the steaks to create a shiny glaze. After slicing the meat, I spooned the further-reduced sauce excessive and served it with grilled broccolini for a crunchy, barely bitter distinction to the wealthy Wagyu and candy Teriyaki.
Though I designed this dish for the Tawny ports, I did strive it with the 2007 Classic; whereas not a failure, the wine was too fruity for the savory-sweet profile of the meat. The 40-year-old Tawny proved to be a really profitable pairing. Apparently, the 30-year-old was much less efficient as a result of it felt too sharp. I consider this was a attribute of that particular bottle somewhat than 30-year-old Tawnies typically, that are sometimes softer and extra mellow.
I performed it protected with the cheese course by pairing a two-year-old Comté with the Tawny, Blue Stilton with the 2007 Classic, and aged Beemster with each. Apparently, the creamier 18-month-aged Beemster labored finest with the 2007 Classic, whereas the crumbly 36-month-aged Beemster was the superior match for the Tawny. The older Beemster even managed to mood among the sharpness within the 30-year-old Tawny. This course was particularly designed to let the ports shine, and it achieved precisely that.
The dessert was designed to pair with the Tawny ports by combining darkish chocolate with nuts. I made a small model of Torta Caprese and coated it with toasted pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, and Italian amaretti. Torta Caprese is an Italian chocolate and almond cake with orange zest; I enhanced the nuttiness on this model by changing the tablespoon of rum with a teaspoon of almond extract. This pairing was fairly profitable, because the sharpness of the 30-year Tawny in some way labored properly with the orange zest within the cake. From earlier expertise, nevertheless, I’d say a chocolate cake with darkish fruits like black cherries or blackberries paired with a Classic Port could be a superior mixture of dessert with port.
In conclusion, I consider I succeeded in assembly the target of making a full menu paired with varied types of Port with out overwhelming the palate or repeating taste profiles. I used to be cautious to regulate the variety of bottles and the scale of the pours to account for the excessive alcohol content material; for this similar group of seven folks, I’d often serve eight or 9 bottles of normal wine, whereas we (virtually) completed 5 bottles of Port throughout this dinner.
Though I served every part with home-baked bread so my company may modify the amount of meals to their private urge for food, some nonetheless had bother ending the dessert. As a result of Port is inherently wealthy and requires equally wealthy pairings, 5 programs is kind of demanding.
I’ve confirmed {that a} full dinner pairing is each potential and satisfying, although I doubtless received’t make a behavior of internet hosting dinners with such a excessive quantity of Port. There’s a motive it’s historically consumed in small portions. Whereas many of those dishes would work as properly, or even perhaps higher, with common nonetheless wines, this experiment served its goal. In case you have a particular bottle of Port and are searching for pairing inspiration, these pointers and dishes ought to present a stable basis to your personal culinary exploration.
