During my visit to Portugal last Fall, I fell in love with Port Tonic, a refreshing cocktail made of one part white Port and two parts tonic water, over ice, with a sprig of mint. It's more bracing than a gin and tonic (less alcohol, so less heavy), and deceptively easy to knock down in mass quantities. It's the favored aperitif before lunch or dinner at Vargellas, the flagship estate of The Fladgate Partnership, the second-largest exporter of Port to the United States.

White Port of course is a bit of a stranger to U.S. wine lovers, as very little of it is marketed here. Most white Port is off-dry, but Taylor Fladgate makes a dry version called Chip Dry that shines in a Port Tonic. Alas, Chip Dry is not sold in the U.S. But we can get Fonseca's Sirocco white Port, another Fladgate Partnership product; it is a bit sweet but still makes a smashing P.T.!