It is a shame that port is customarily consumed after a meal. As such, it is often an afterthought and served to guests whose late-night state of inebriation often prevents any chance of appreciation.

Such a pity.

Still, this fortified wine— soaked in history—is something special and best enjoyed away from the dinner table with a simple wedge of Stilton cheese.

There is no better time to enjoy a glass of port than these winter months. Instead of having a glass of cognac to ward off the bitter chills, we like port because it is less heady and doesn’t attack the stomach. Served with cheese or sipped just by itself, port is a satisfying partner to an engrossing book or a roaring fire.

Like many wine creations, port is a bastard child of mistake. Trade wars between the English and French in the 17th century sent the British wine merchants in search of a new source for their wines. They found their way to southern Portugal, where they found wine marginally digestable. To ensure that the wine survived the voyage back to their homeland, merchants asked winemaking monks to add brandy during the fermentation process. Because alcohol arrests fermentation, sugar from the grapes was not converted to alcohol and the result was a sweet wine with high alcohol induced by the brandy. The Brits back home loved the invention and the rest is history.

Port put Portugal on the wine map forever, an achievement that would have been difficult if wine-makers had to rely on regular wine from the country’s obscure grapes.

Winemakers here are authorized to use more than 80 grape varieties

The five black-skin varieties most recognized are touriga nacional, tinta baroca, tinta franca, tinta roriz and tinto cao. White port —often served on the rocks—is made from viosinho, fina, malvasia and other white grape varieties.

Port has been making great progress in marketing its unfortified wines in the Douro region close to Spain. We recently tasted several versions using the same grape varieties common to port. These wines show Portugal has come a long way from making astringent, unbalanced wines.

Over the course of history, port producers have been scarfed up by a handful of British companies, like Symington Family Estates, but the individual character of the brands has been maintained.

Some recommendations:

Graham’s Six Grapes ($20). We often recommend this port as a “starter” for those unfamiliar with the beverage. Six Grapes is an easy drink with a rich texture, big in raisin- y and plum fruit.

Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port 2004 ($25). LBV is seasoned in oak and then bottled when it is 4 to 6 years old. It is ready for drinking on release. This has blackberry notes with a touch of spice.

Dow’s 10-Year-Old Tawny ($30). Tawnys spend time in barrels— in this case, 10 years. The process imparts a nice nutty character to the port. This one has toffee notes and a viscous mouth-feel.

Here are some very interesting wines from Portugal that are not ports.

DFJ Vinhos Vega 2005 ($13). We loved this discovery from the Douro region of Portugal. A blend of toriga franca and tinta roriz, it sports a floral, coffee nose and is followed by plum and blackberry flavors. Long finish.

100 Marias 2006 ($15).We actually liked this wine better on the second day, which suggests that you should let this breathe for a bit before serving. That opens the wine, made from aragonez and trincadeira grapes, into a delightful, full-body wine with blackberry and plum flavors.

Markham

Markham Vineyards has released two single-vineyard caber-net sauvignons in the debut of its “Mark of Distinction” series.

Markham The Philanthropist Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($53). Big body with mocha and anise aromas followed by jammy dark berry and root beer flavors, spice and fine tannins. Absolutely delicious and worthy of cellar aging.

Markham The Altruist Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($53). More open than the first wine, the fruit-forward Altruist has a floral nose with ripe blackberry and cassis flavors. Sweet vanilla and toasty oak finish.