Port with cheese isn’t just for after dinner, and these top combos prove it

Do you still sometimes think port is a bit of a stuffy drink? We don’t! In fact, because I recently attended a particularly fun port-and-cheese tasting, port was suddenly very much top of mind for me, and I ended up ordering it at the café the other day. And did you know that you can vary things beautifully with different types of port? You can also make great cocktails with it.

And you can even eat cheese with a port cocktail because, honestly, is there ever a moment when eating cheese isn’t appropriate?

Kaasfort + port

To drive this point home once again, I recently headed to one of North Holland’s biggest cheese wonderlands: Kaasfort Amsterdam, where we were invited by the well-known port brand Warre’s. René Koelman, owner of Kaasfort and passionate cheese aficionado, had put together a great tasting with sommelier Jan-Jaap Altenburg (from restaurant Maeve and the Leclubsommeljj podcast), filled with plenty of great stories.

Not so cheesy cheese pairings

Those surprising combinations of Warre’s ports and cheeses were called ‘Not so cheesy pairings’. Everyone probably knows the classic combination of ruby port with blue cheese. Warre’s wants to show that there are many ways with Warre’s, so the two gentlemen were challenged to show us that there’s much more possible than that familiar generously poured Stilton after dinner. And so, remarkable cheeses appeared on the table, carefully paired with the different ports.

Why wait?

And why serve cheese and port only after dinner? Feel free to turn it into an aperitif; if, for example, you mix the white Warre’s with tonic (and, on Jan-Jaap’s recommendation, add a sprig of thyme and a slice of pear), you have a wonderfully fresh, light cocktail to start the drinks with. Add some cheese and the party can begin! The Warre’s Otima 10 with Swarte Toer was also delicious, and the Remeker Oude Kaas with the 2000 Vintage port was so good it was utterly irresistible. And a good tawny port shouldn’t be overlooked either—it goes particularly well with a creamy sheep’s cheese such as Torta de Oveja.

Affordable luxury

In short: there’s more fun to be had with cheese and port pairings than the standard ruby port with Stilton. Especially with the affordable quality of Warre’s ports, which you can find at Albert Heijn from €7.59 (for a small bottle). For €12.99, you can get the Warre’s Otima 10; a soft, refined port that wouldn’t look out of place at, for example, Christmas dinner. Warre’s has actually been around since 1670: it was the first British port company in Portugal’s Douro Valley, making it a true classic.

Port for drinks

Bet that bottle of port will spend much less time in the drinks cabinet if you simply pair it with cheeses more often and pour it at aperitif time as a refreshing start to drinks? We were certainly enthusiastic about the prospect of making cozy cheese boards with different ports all winter long. Cheers!

Read also:

• You can now buy a filled cheese board for your tree
• Want variety on your cheese board? Get inspired by this Burgundian Christmas tasting
• At ARCA, you can eat authentic Portuguese dishes with an Asian twist