Yeah, I know we looked at Tawny Ports in the spring and I raved about how fantastic they are when served chilled and partnered by barbecue food, but here’s the thing – they are also quite sublime as fireside wines partnered by a selection of rich hard cheeses.
Tawny and Colheita Ports are aged in oak until they are released ready for consumption. The time spent in wood has a transformative effect on them, lightening their colour, hence the name. This also adds a complex, nutty flavour to the palate.
Tawnies generally spend a minimum of three years in wood before release but my personal favourites are all more than a decade old. My all-time favourite wine was a 1932 colheita, which I opened with friends in 2005. It was so good, I wrote an entire column on it at the time and still display the bottle in pride of place.
10 Year Old Tawny
The wood can be a trifle overpowering at first but I found it faded nicely with 10 minutes in the glass, revealing tasted nuts, Christmas cake fruits and gentle spices. A rather gorgeous wine for the price as you would normally expect to pay at least twice this for a 10-year-old. Well done indeed, Lidl.
Lidl £11.99
Churchills 20 Year Old Tawny
This has to be one of life’s greatest pleasures, at least one that you can buy for less than £100. Complex layers of nuts, coffee and spices with a soft, warming finish.
Oddbins £36.00
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