Let’s See—Crème Brûlée or Chocolate?

There are ten styles of Port, but luckily they all fall into one of two major categories which I’ve come to think of as those that are like crème brûlée and those that are more like chocolate cake. The “crème brûlée” Ports are the ones that have been aged in wood a long time. These Ports have brown sugar, almost creme brûlée-like flavors. Tawny Port is the best example. (And in fact, it tastes delicious with crème brûlée). The “chocolate” Ports have been aged a long time in bottle, with very little exposure to air. They are darker red in color, and have a dense almost cocoa-like or chocolatey flavor. Vintage Port is a perfect example of a bottle aged Port. (Not surprisingly, it tastes phenomenal with chocolate).