Can chocolate make Port cool again?
Port has long-since struggled with stereotypes, but Pedro Martins Araújo, master chocolate maker at Taylor’s chocolate factory Vinte Vinte, thinks chocolate is the key to introducing the fortified wine to a new generation. Amelie Maurice-Jones reports.
Speaking to the drinks business last year, Port producers agreed that the wine still has an image problem – still suffocated by stereotypes of something your grandma drinks, or a tipple firmly reserved for Christmas festivities. But through mixology, tourism and fresh packaging, things are “slowly but surely” changing.
And Taylor’s, one of Portugal’s oldest Port houses, thinks it has the secret ingredient to drawing in new drinkers – chocolate. In 2017, the producer became the first Port maker to found a chocolate brand – Vinte Vinte – which translates to ‘Twenty Twenty’, named after the ‘Cacao Belt’ 20º North and 20º South latitude lines that straddle the equator.
“Nine out of 10 people love chocolate, and the 10th is lying,” Vinte Vinte master chocolate maker Pedro Martins Araújo tells the drinks business. Out of Port’s three classic pairings, cheese, cigars and chocolate, he pinpoints the third as the only one that speaks to the masses,
“Port as a beverage is sweet, it’s a very pleasant drink. And whatever you do with chocolate, you’re in for a treat – you know you’ll have fun,” breezes Martins Araújo, who travelled to countries along the cacao belt scouring for the perfect cocoa farm, before returning to Portugal. Also known as Dr Bean, the chocolatier oversees chocolate production at Vinte Vinte. He also heads up Taylor’s chocolate museum, The Chocolate Factory, which forms part of its broader World of Wine experience in Porto, where guests can see the treats produced – from bean to bar.
Tapping into new markets
This is all part of Taylor’s “creative and innovative” bid to show consumers that Port is far more than simply a festive pour. Products like the Taylors and Port Chocolate Gift Set, launched in 2024, and recently released Port bottles packaged with six chocolate caps, entice new markets.
“People don’t want boring products, they want experience,” says Martins Araújo. Speaking of the latter product, he adds: “Usually Port is classified as being an old man’s drink. This new product literally breaks that barrier, because it penetrated much faster and better in the younger generation than in the older generations.”
The gift pack also invites new consumption occasions. On the one hand it’s a “fantastic dinner party gift” says the chocolate maker, but then it’s also the perfect show of Valentine’s romance (“you’re only missing the flowers”). With Easter coming up, it might also act as a boujee alternative to the classic egg.
“We like to highlight those different moments of consumption,” enthuses Martins Araújo. “Consuming Port and chocolate makes it easier, because it’s easier to understand.”
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What makes Port and chocolate work?
So, why do Port and chocolate go so well together? The chocolatier explains the science: “Chocolate is traditionally bitter and Port wine is traditionally sweet, so they have this contrast.”
It’s exactly this kind of contrast that makes for the best pairings: “That’s why chefs put a pinch of salt in cakes – it intensifies the flavours.” The second reason chocolate and Port aptly match is the cocoa butter’s natural fats. “To enhance flavours we need a high fat content,” adds Martins Araújo. Additionally, “the fattiness of the chocolate will protect your palate from the alcohol sensation of Port wine, so it will tone down the alcohol perception.”
While “there’s no wrong”, when picking which chocolate to pair with your wine, the former chef offers some standout suggestions. Opt for Reserve Ruby with 70% dark chocolate, and pair milk chocolate with Tawny due to the shared toffee, caramel notes. Then, for drier whites; white chocolate, exemplifying the contrast between bitter and sweet.
The future looks sweet
Since Vinte Vinte was founded nine years ago, it’s amassed a starry armful of accolades, including eight medals at the Academy of Chocolate Awards in 2025. When asked whether more Port producers should be turning their focus to chocolate, Martins Araújo replies, “the more the merrier”.
He adds: “When you lead something, it takes twice as much hard work, but we are used to it. We want the consumer to associate having Taylor’s with chocolate.”
Going forward, where does he hope Vinte Vinte will be in a decade? He’s not shy about it: “On top of the world”.
‘It’s an all-year-round thing’
He continues: “In 10 years time, I would like people to look at Port and chocolate as trendy and the way to go. Port doesn’t have to be a boring product. It’s not your grandpa’s drink, it’s everybody’s drink. It’s not a Christmas drink, it’s an all-year-round thing.”
And, a word of wisdom on chocolate: “You should buy your chocolate like you buy your wine. Take your time to really savour and enjoy a piece of chocolate instead of munching it.”
Dr Bean concludes: “If we manage to accomplish this in the next decade, we can pat ourselves in the back, because we’ve done a terrific job.”
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