Taste test: the best ports for Christmas 2018

Port is one of those drinks that, for some reason, has become entwined with Christmas in the UK. Perhaps it’s the rich, fruity, slightly spiced flavour of the fortified wine that makes it feel so festive, or the fact that Christmas is the only time of year when it somehow feels essential to have a bottle of Port (or indeed sherry, Baileys or Armagnac) on hand for various parties, meals and after-dinner drinking sessions. But with so many Ports on offer in the supermarkets around Christmas it can be hard to know which bottle to go for.

While all Port comes from the Duoro Valley in northern Portugal, the quality can vary massively. Bottles can fetch thousands of pounds, but at the cheaper end of the spectrum there’s no easy way of distinguishing between a low-quality Port that simply tastes like a ropey red wine with an aftertaste of pure alcohol and a genuinely good bottle that offers fantastic value for money. That’s why we courageously blind-tasted our way through them, scoring each bottle based on flavour alone, to find the best bottles of Port for Christmas that come in under £25. Read on to see which ones came out on top.

This was the only tawny Port that made it into our top five so it’s a little different from the rest. Aged in oak barrels gives it a light brown colour instead of the deep ruby red, and the flavour is much sweeter and nuttier, so think of it as a dessert wine. It’d make the perfect partner to a Christmas pudding, especially served slightly chilled.

£13.99 from Waitrose

This bottle was one of the most expensive in the line-up, but because it’s unfiltered this Port has had a good six years to develop and mellow in the bottle. This certainly comes through in the flavour – incredibly smooth without a hint of alcoholic tang that’s often found in younger or cheaper Ports, the taste of cherries hits you with every sip, with a long lasting finish. A great Port to round off a decadent Christmas meal.

£20.95 from Ocado

Rich, full-bodied and bursting with dark red fruit flavours, this iconic bottle from Graham’s had a fantastically sweet finish. The perfect all-rounder, it tastes like a good red Port should yet is slightly lighter and thinner than thick, deeply rich varieties (meaning it’s very easy to go back for another glass). If you want a Port that everyone will like but is a cut above the standard bottles, this is a good bet.

£15.99 from Amazon