Ramos Pinto is the Port of Romance, well, that’s what they say, but real Portuguese Porto, from any House,  will turn out to be a Romantic drink on a cold, icy, or snowy night.

Every Port House makes a full line of products from a semi-sweet white (Yes, there is white Port) to a basic Ruby; Crusted, 20 or 30-year-old Tawny, Late Bottle Vintages, and declared Vintage Ports all have a place in a wine-lover’s repertoire of seduction.

As a fortified wine, (that’s one with brandy added to heighten the alcohol and help preserve it), Port is fun to savor with walnuts and blue cheeses. I opened six of Ramos Pinto’s most interesting Ports with 12 friends on Sunday afternoon. We decided that the classic matches all work well and that a slice of fig and a sun-dried cherry also married well with the Ports.

Few things in life beat a glass of Port near a blazing fireplace with someone you love. In vino veritas.