SOME time back in the closing chapters of the last century we visited Porto's Factory House.
A truly intriguing spot, it remains a bastion of English tradition - in more ways than one: The land on which the Factory House (which dates from 1790 and was originally the headquarters of all the British-owned Port shippers) is built was granted to the English in perpetuity by the Portuguese in 1806. The gesture, made the year after the decisive Battle of Trafalgar, was in appreciation of the Brits having sided with the Portuguese against the Spanish and their allies the French, under Napoleon. Of note, the Spanish fleet set sail from Cadiz, a mere few kilometres from Jerez. But we digress. . .
In terms of long-running traditions, you couldn't ask for a more potent holiday pairing than Port and Stilton.
Last week, Les Amis du Fromage (literally) rolled out a trio of massive 100-pound (45.3 kg.) Long Clawson Stilton cheeses, produced by the Melton Mowbray cheesemaker in celebration of their centenary.
The blue veined cheese itself is extraordinary: correctly aged and just moist enough, it should shine right through the holidays.
However, equally luminous were the Ports which Les Amis poured with their memorable tasting.
In a break with tradition, the best Port match of the night turned out to be Les Amis owner Alice Spurrell's Seville Orange and Ginger marmalade on a subtle Stilton tea biscuit, paired up with the extraordinary, intense, gently spicy and orange-toned Taylor Fladgate 20-year-old Tawny (BCLS $68.99). It was a real treat - and certainly the highlight of the evening.
If there's a Port lover in your life, you owe it to them to buy a bottle - if not one for yourself!
On the other hand, for a less costly though still worthy "breakfast" drop, the less expensive Taylor Fladgate 10-Year-Old Tawny (BCLS $39.99) is also a slam dunk, with fig notes and nutty tones.
Meanwhile, back to the more classic Port and Stilton pairing, the plummy, cassistoned Fonseca Guimaraens 2005 Vintage Port (PWS $70-75) certainly fits the bill with its decisive black fruit and raspberry notes that play wonderfully off the blue cheese, and waltzes even better with walnuts. Together, they constitute the "Holy Trinity" of Port.
Speaking of practice making perfect, there likely isn't a more tradition-bound wine than Port, which claims an alliance forged over two centuries of Portuguese and English fraternalisation.
Change comes slowly to the Douro, which can trace the origins of its grape growing to Roman times, and which to this day sports vineyard markers (at Quinta do Crasto, for one) dating from the 11th century.
All that makes more intriguing Port's newest development, an all-organic wine in the form of Fonseca Terra Prima Organic Reserve Port. This wine, a rarity, is the very first of its kind, as it's fortified with spirit made from organically grown grapes (which isn't usually the case) and therefore is fully certified organic. Think Port on training wheels (and therefore a great introduction): Very berried, lots of black fruit, with plum and cherry notes, easy tannins and quite round on the palate. A nice present for anyone who's a serious organic dévotée. BCLS $31.99. And, for sure, no problem pairing it with Stilton and walnuts.
Christmas traditions take many forms but few surpass the potency of Port and its rules:
Never pour your own glass; Pass to the left, always; and never forget to ask your neighbour (on the right, of course) in the appropriate, reverential tone if they "know the Bishop of Norwich." (Ed. note: you can Google that last one.)
