Stilton and Port

1997 Offley Boa Vista
Vintage Port
$39.99
Shane’s Notes

We decanted for one hour because a 1997 Vintage Port is really too youthful to drink right now. The decanting helped, but this one should really be aged for another 3-5 years. The aroma is alcoholic and shows some licorice. This port has a medium rich texture and the palate displays licorice, molasses, brown sugar and some chocolate on the finish. It has moderate complexity and is about what you’d expect for this price range. The finish is a bit short.

I’m more of a New World style wine drinker so I rarely eat when I drink wine. However, I keep reading that you absolutely have to have Stilton with your port so I gave it a shot. I nibbled a crumb of the cheese and sipped my port with no noticeable result. Jen said that I would have to be more daring and actually take a mouthful of Stilton. I followed her directions and there was a slight difference. The cheese seemed to soften the harshness of the port but that was about all that I noticed. I think I’ll stick to port and dark chocolate.