Alta No. 10 Ten-Year-Old Tawny Port

A Ten-Year-Old Tawny is a blend, not a vintage — the number is the average age of the wines in the bottle, patiently married in cask until the fruit turns to something deeper. Alta No. 10 comes from Quinta da Pedra Alta in the Douro, built from the classic red Port grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca, foot-trodden in the estate's granite lagares just as they've always been. A slice of very old barrel wine, some of it over forty years, gets folded into the blend for complexity.

What sets this one apart is restraint. The house aim is a tawny where the sweetness sits back and the acidity leads, and you taste it. The colour is a clear tawny red; the nose gives dried fruit, toffee, caramel and a distinct brazil-nut note. The palate carries rich prune and caramel with a delicate touch of oak, gentle spice, and — crucially — a citrusy bite of acidity on the finish that stops it turning heavy. It's elegant rather than rich, which makes it dangerously easy to go back to.

This is the bottle for after dinner, when the plates are cleared and nobody's in a hurry. Serve it very slightly cool and it comes alive.

How to Serve

Unlike a vintage Port, a tawny needs no decanting — it's ready now. Serve lightly chilled, around 14 to 16 C, in a small wine glass. Once opened it will keep happily for a few weeks in the fridge.

Where to Drink It

Wiltons on Jermyn Street for the old-school digestif. The Connaught for a quiet nightcap. Boisdale for a cigar-and-tawny evening.

Food Pairings

The classic is a wedge of Stilton, and it earns its reputation. It's just as good with a slice of walnut tart or simply a bowl of salted nuts.