Tawny Port

Tawny Port is Port at its most mellow and refined. Where Ruby and Vintage styles are aged to preserve their deep colour and dark fruit, Tawny spends years in small oak casks, where gentle contact with air slowly transforms the wine. The colour fades from purple to amber, and the fruit gives way to layers of caramel, toffee, walnut, dried fig and spice.

The age statements on the label are your best guide to style. A 10 Year Old is still lively and fruit-driven, with red berry notes alongside the nuttiness, while 20, 30 and 40 Year Old Tawnies become progressively more complex, concentrated and savoury. Look out too for Colheitas, single-vintage Tawnies that show the character of one particular year after long ageing in wood.

Tawny is best served lightly chilled, and unlike Vintage Port it will keep happily for several weeks once opened. It's a classic partner for crème brûlée, pecan pie and nut-based desserts, works beautifully with hard cheeses, and is just as good on its own with a handful of roasted almonds.