It is never the wrong season: try a dry white over ice, a ruby with cold meats and a tawny with cheese

It feels inappropriately early to be writing about port – usually the stuff appears on wine pages only in the immediate run-up to Christmas, because that’s when most of us buy our only bottle of the year. Its unfortunate associations with red-trousered, red-nosed, Colonel Blazer types also makes it possibly the most unfashionable of drinks, but, as well as being a traditional essential with the festive cheeseboard, port is a diverse category that deserves attention at other times of year, too.

Dry white port, for example, is a useful standby to keep in the fridge, to serve with tonic or ginger ale for a lower-alcohol alternative to a G&T, or in place of vermouth in an outre martini, or to serve over ice alongside a plate of green olives. It’s also good to slosh into a sauce instead of white wine.