Fonseca Porto 10 Years Old Tawny Port

Fonseca, part of the Fladgate Partnership, makes this 10 Year Old as the entry point to its age-dated Tawnies, the label reflecting the average time the blended wines have spent in wood. It offers the nutty, dried-fruit register of aged Tawny in an accessible form.

The red port grapes are fortified with grape spirit, then matured oxidatively in small oak casks of around 630 litres. Because the volume of wine is small relative to the cask surface, contact with wood is proportionately greater, and a decade of this ageing gives the wine its russet colour with crimson highlights and its fruit-cake complexity.

The nose weaves fig and date with a suggestion of orange zest over toasted almond and toffee. The palate leads with caramelised toffee and hazelnut, softened by the sweetness of dried apricot, before good acidity carries it into a creamy, lightly chocolate finish. Serve lightly chilled as a digestif, or pair with coffee, dark chocolate and dried fruit and nuts.