The classic pairing for a vintage port is a flavorful blue cheese, such as Stilton, and nuts, such as walnuts. For an aged tawny port, the same holds true. It also matches well with chocolate desserts.
But for the more adventuresome, an aged tawny can figure into other courses. Just pay attention to the balance of flavors, said Jason Prah, the new wine director at Tizi Melloul restaurant, where he often matches wine to unusual spices.
You’ll want to contrast flavors or provide a bridge, Prah said. For example, “Lobster bisque usually works well. Typically [chefs] add a little brandy to it, which gives it a roundness. But a young tawny would be too sweet.”
He suggested a 30- or 40-year (or maybe even a 20-year) because with the age, the wine softens, becoming nutty.
“Because of the fortification it does cut through that creamy nature of the soup,” he said.
Prah also suggested quail: “[The wine] enhances the darker flavors in the quail, and it’s not a heavy wine so it allows the flavor of the quail to come through.”
A more delicate choice, on the menu at Tizi Melloul, is seared diver’s scallops, with a chopped kalamata olive garnish, and a sauce of melted white chocolate with ras el hanout (a traditional Moroccan mix of spices) and topped with a pinch of sea salt. Prah would team a 40-year-old tawny with the dish, if a diner wanted to try something unusual, to bring out some of the nuances of the ingredients.
Though chocolate is a classic pairing, stick to dark chocolate desserts, such as a flourless chocolate cake. The bittersweet flavor will be enchanced by the caramel nature of tawnies. (Milk chocolate would be too sweet, Prah said.) Another choice is pecan pie.