HERE’S a bit of fatherly advice – forget the socks and the hankies!

With Father’s Day coming up next week, dad deserves something that won’t end up in the drawer never to be seen again.

It’s an ideal time for port, that most traditional of drinks and something of an antidote to our busy modern lives. It refuses to be hurried, it has to be sipped slowly, it puts the brakes on.

However, when faced with the multitude of styles – as well as sometimes scary prices – it’s no surprise that port retains an air of mystery.

The top port is vintage, only made in the best years. A vintage is “declared” during the wine’s second year in cask, if the producer thinks it is good enough. It is bottled after two years then left to age for up to 20 years. It can be ferociously expensive.

Single quinta port is similar in that it is made from one year’s grapes at a single estate, or farm. It is often made in years which are not declared, but can be up there with vintage port in quality. Completing the most sought-after styles is tawny, which is blended and matured in wood for ten, 20, 30 or even 40 years before being bottled. Cheap tawny is a blend of basic red and white port. Colheita is tawny from a single vintage which has been matured in cask for at least seven years.

A good alternative to vintage is crusted port, a blend of vintages, aged for around four years then bottled without being filtered. It ages faster than vintage and forms a crust, or sediment, so should be decanted.

Late Bottled Vintage is port matured for up to six years in barrel then bottled and aged. Ruby port is young red wine, hopefully fruity and sweet, and if it’s called Vintage Character it should be a little better with more age.

Finally white port is a dry style similar to sherry.