It turns out I have been drinking port entirely wrong. For me, this heavy fortified wine has always been something for the winter. A small glass served at room temperature to pair with the Christmas ...

What do you think of when you hear the words “port wine?” British gentlemen’s clubs? Cigars? Mikhail Gorbachev? I think of the delicious, sweet, fortified wine of the Douro River Valley of Portugal.

We once hesitated to try port — a drink we pictured in smoky dens, sipped by pompous gentlemen with weighty ideas. After a heavy meal our tired palates rarely welcomed its sweetness, and we’d rather ...