Port Wine Advent Calendar Tasting: How to Get the Most Out of 24 Doors
Most people drink port wine too warm, from glasses that are too small, and in the wrong order. It's not a disaster, but it's a pity. Those who want to taste port wine, for example from the advent calendar, need three things: the right temperature for each style, a regular white wine glass, and some patience with the order. White and Rosé should be served cold, Tawnys slightly chilled, Ruby, LBV, and Vintage at 16 to 18 degrees. The rest is curiosity. And there's plenty of that in December.
What temperature does port wine need?
When tasting port wine, temperature influences the taste more than almost anything else. A warm White Port seems sticky. An ice-cold Tawny smells like nothing.
The rule of thumb is: the lighter and younger, the colder. The darker and fruitier, the closer to room temperature. A refrigerator is about 5 degrees, which helps with calculations.
| Style in the Calendar | Temperature | This is how it works at home |
|---|---|---|
| White Port (Extra Dry to Lágrima) | 6 to 10 °C | Bottle in the fridge in the morning |
| Rosé Port | 8 to 12 °C | Directly from the fridge |
| Tawny and Colheita | 12 to 14 °C | 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge |
| Ruby, LBV and Vintage | 16 to 18 °C | Cool room, not next to the heater |
Which glass is suitable for tasting Port wine?
A regular white wine glass. The small Port wine glasses from grandmother's cabinet look pretty but leave no room for the aroma.
Pour the 5 cl, swirl briefly, and let the wine stand for a minute. Port wine has 19 to 22 percent alcohol by volume. The alcohol evaporates first, then the fruit emerges.
How to properly taste Port wine?
Tasting Port wine involves three steps: look, smell, taste. Each takes less than half a minute.
Look. The color reveals a lot. Ruby and Vintage are deep red. Tawnys become lighter and amber with each year in the barrel. Even White Port changes: After many years in wood, it turns golden yellow, almost like an old Tawny.
Smell. Young Port wines smell of red berries and plums. Matured Tawnys of nuts, dried fruits, and caramel.
Taste. Move a small sip around in your mouth, then swallow.Pay attention to how long the taste lingers. With old Tawnys, it often lasts longer than the conversation about it.
By the way: The age indication on a Tawny, such as 10 or 40 years, is not an exact average. It describes the character. Each of these wines must pass a tasting at the Port Wine Institute IVDP before being sold.
In what order should you taste the Port Wine Advent Calendar?
In the calendar, the order is random. This is intentional and part of the fun. However, if you want to learn something while tasting Port wine, you can cheat a little.
My tip: Open your door every day, but set aside the four Tawnys with age indications unopened. These are the 10, 20, 30, and 40-year-olds. At the end, taste them side by side, from the youngest to the oldest. This way, you can taste in one evening what four decades of barrel aging do to a wine.
The same applies to the two Colheitas from 2016, one White, one Tawny. Same vintage, two colors. How Tawny and Ruby fundamentally differ is explained in our article Tawny or Ruby.
Fancy it on December 24th? It is also available individually, as a 5-cl bottle or 75-cl bottle.
What goes well with the port wine from the advent calendar?
Small portions call for small companions.A few ideas that work without cooking:
- Extra Dry and Dry White: salted almonds, olives
- Lágrima: the sweetest White Port, with fruit desserts or simply on its own
- Rosé: well-chilled as an aperitif
- Tawny and Colheita: nuts, crème brûlée, hot chestnuts
- Ruby, LBV, and Vintage: dark chocolate, blue cheese
Tawny and chestnuts are a classic pair for us in December. How to roast chestnuts at home is detailed in the article Roasting Chestnuts.
Concise Answers
How long does an opened 5-cl bottle of Port last?
It's best to drink it the same evening. Tawnys are a bit more forgiving because they have already matured with oxygen in the barrel.More about it in the article How long does opened wine last.
Do you need to decant the vintage from the calendar?
No. Pour it slowly and leave the last drop in the bottle. If sediment has formed, it will remain inside.
Can I save doors for later?
Yes. Unopened, upright, cool, and dark, the bottles will keep without any problems until the new year.
Where can I find the Port Wine Advent Calendar in Switzerland?
At Vall'doAido. Our calendar contains 24 different port wines from Quinta Sequeirinha in the Douro, each 5 cl. We ship from mid-November, and collection at the showroom in Oberbuchsiten is possible. What you should pay attention to when buying, I explain in the article Port Wine Advent Calendar for Adults.
Port Wine Advent Calendar 2026
24 different port wines à 5 cl, CHF 119.–
To the Advent Calendar →Shipping from mid-November. Free shipping from CHF 250.
- For Comparison: Sequeirinha Tawny 10 Anos, 5 cl for CHF 6.00
- For the Aperitif: Sequeirinha Porto Rosé, 50 cl for CHF 17.00
- For Connoisseurs: Sequeirinha Tawny 40 Anos, 5 cl for CHF 13.00
In the end, a Port Wine Advent Calendar is above all one thing: 24 small breaks in December. Chill, pour, take a quick sniff. The rest takes care of itself.