Cheese To Go With Port Wine
Port and cheese is one of the most classic food and wine pairings you will ever come across. It signifies a special moment during an evening of cheese, when things become more relaxed and conversations are flowing, and everyone is enjoying a bite to eat alongside a perfect glass of port wine. For many, cheese and port is a crucial part of Christmas day. After a wonderful Christmas dinner, and once the celebrations have died down, everyone begins to look for some cheese and wine to enjoy. But quite frankly, it can be enjoyed anytime over the year, or particularly on a special occasion.
So yes, there is a good reason a glass of port and some cheese helps lift the occasion. Why? Well, port offers many comforting flavours from sweet and fruity to deep and rich. Whilst cheese is savoury, its saltiness and rich flavour will match the port’s sweet and powerful flavours perfectly, making it the ideal cheese and wine combination to enjoy after dinner.
Choosing the right cheeses for the perfect port pairings
When choosing which cheese to go with your wine, you must consider that your choice of cheese has a lot to do with the style of port you’re drinking. For example, if you paired a weak cheese with any port wine, you will lose the flavour and the flavours will not be exaggerated. With cheese and wine pairings, your main goal is to spruce up the flavours in both the wine and the cheese. So, choosing the right cheese will determine your cheese and wine experience.
What are the rules for wine & cheese pairing?
You can go the long way round and be adventurous by trying different cheeses with different wines, but if you really want to find the perfect cheese pairings, we will help you. There are a few things you need to know first. We’ve picked out a few port styles and paired them with our most popular cheese truckles to get you started.
Graham’s Tawny Port & Our Delicious Vintage Cheddar
For Tawny Ports, salty, creamy, rich and strong cheddar is the ideal pairing because vintage ports need a powerful cheese that can hold its own against the strength of this flavoursome wine.
As we mentioned earlier, if you paired a weak cheese with a strong wine you won't get as much excitement from it. So, what other cheeses can you pair with this remarkable wine? Well, blue cheese will do just fine. It’s strong and rich in flavour, and the smooth texture of the port will play up the nutty notes. In addition, it is worth noting that any strong and vintage cheese goes well with any port.
If you’re more of a foodie than a drinker, fresh olives are a great idea to add more flavour to the cheese and wine pairing. The hearty saltiness of green olives pairs nicely with Tawny Port.
Smith Woodhouse Ruby Port & Shepherd’s Purse Yorkshire Blue Cheese
Blue Cheese is a classic pairing for Ruby Ports. As you now know, port wine can be easily paired with many strong flavours of cheese, but we would like to point out what makes the combination of blue cheese and ruby port so special.
Firstly, blue cheese makes the perfect after-dinner cheese to enjoy on a cheese board, or for nibbling on whilst watching your favourite show. Whilst blue cheese is often strong, with its blue veins running through it, you can enjoy it with a delicious fruity Ruby Port Wine for a taste sensation. Smith Woodhouse Ruby Port brings an intense flavour of red fruits blended right through it that has a long finish, perfect for pairing with a wedge of Yorkshire Blue Cheese. Imagine a bite of blue cheese on top of your favourite cracker, with a sip of this delicious port afterwards… your tastebuds will thank you and beg for more! Don’t feel guilty, if you didn't know, blue cheese is high in protein.
Making cheese & wine pairing easy with a simple cheese gift box
Now you know what goes into the perfect cheese and port wine pairings, we would like to help you to curate the perfect cheeseboard, allowing you to enjoy only the very best port and cheese, with ease. Here at The Chuckling Cheese Company, we have an extensive range of cheese gift boxes with all the things you will need to enjoy a night of cheese and wine.
In our cheese gift boxes, you will find that they include condiments to enjoy with your cheese(s). Most importantly, these are the foods that make cheeseboards extra special. Cheese, crackers, chutney, and wonderful port wine to rinse everything down with after each bite.
Take a look at two of our most popular Port & Cheese Gift Boxes!
The perfect gift for the ones you love, especially if they love indulging in a little cheese and wine. Spread a cheesy smile across their face for their next birthday or special occasion with a wonderfully curated cheese & port gift box with all the accompaniments they could wish for.
