I was in my local licensed beverage store the other day, and whilst waiting in the queue, the lady in front of me was openly broadcasting a flustered port purchasing conundrum. She wanted to cook with port that evening, and didn’t know what to buy. To my delight she randomly turned to me, and asked if I knew anything about port and if I could help her decide.

I don’t do well being put on the spot. However, I did think to myself, its happened Kelly, you finally get to put your WSET qualification to some good use! I did also concurrently wish I had one of those magical pills Bradley Cooper consumes in the movie Limitless, as I tried to remember my study notes on Port as it has been a few years now, in addition to not drinking a lot of Port.

I do cook with it though, I make the occasional port sauce when steak is on the menu, and I’ve once or twice made a mixed berry pavlova, where I added a bit of port to the meringue to give it a beautiful deep purple colour and slightly more complex flavour.

I looked at the options said lady had in front of her, and suggested the bottle of Cockburn’s (pro-nounced co-burn’s) Fine Ruby Port. It’s also what is sitting in my pantry with my other cooking liquor stalwarts. i.e. Brandy, Rum, Sherry and Sake.

Port in short:

Port is fortified wine made exclusively in the Douro Valley region of Portugal.

If you ever try to make your own Port, outside of said region, you will not be allowed to call it Port, because it is a geographical demarcation (like Champagne).

You get Red, White and Rosé port.

White port is made from (you guessed it) white grapes.

Red port is made with red grapes and ‘Tawny’ and ‘Ruby’ are the two main categories.

While Ruby Port is aged in tanks and has a bright ruby-red colour and fruit flavour, Tawny Port is aged in barrels and is much lighter with a rich, amber colour, and flavours of caramel and nuts and dates and prunes if aged for longer.

Vintage Port is a subtype of Ruby Port made from the harvest of a single year. Considered to be the best type of Port that you can buy. Don’t cook with vintage, it’s meant to be aged and to drink it on its own.

Stick to your Ruby and Tawny ports for cooking. They are versatile, and can enhance savoury dishes.

Next time you have a glass of port, pop a tiny little wedge of lemon in the glass, as in pinky nail size. Changes the flavour profile for a very interesting and refreshing drink. I was served this when I last visited Hermanus, in South Africa. Hermanus is a coastal town in the spectacular Hemel-en-Aarde wine area of the Western Cape, home to iconic wineries like Hamilton Russell, Ataraxia, Bouchard Finlayson and Southern Right.