TRICK question: which country makes the best port?

When it comes to wine, we can all guess which is the most popular among Brits - that's right, France, an answer which has has been backed up by a recent Co-op survey.

When asked which countries produce the best wine, 33 per cent said the French, followed by Italy and Australia (both on 13 per cent) and Spain (8 per cent). Australia sneaking up to joint second there.

But what about port?

Well, it's Portugal, surely. That's where port comes from, you doofus. Surely the only trick in the trick question above is a double bluff.

Well, it depends where you come from.

You see, under EU Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only the product from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal may be labelled as port.

But in the USA, fortified wines labelled "port" may come from anywhere in the world, with versions from Australia, France, South Africa, Canada, Argentina, the US itself and even India.

So there. A trick question after all.

Still, while the UK is still in the EU, we're going to abide by its PDO guidelines and say port only comes from Portugal and so Portugal has the best. (NB. Who knows what kind of chemical swill will end up being labelled as "port" once Boris Johnson and co get to make up the rules!)

There are two lovely ones on offer at Waitrose, until October 11.

Port is a sweet red wine, usually around 20 per cent ABV, and often served as a dessert wine. There are different varieties, including some dry, semi-dry and white.

This column has always liked tawny port (there's something about the colour as well as the taste, which apparently comes from the exposure in wooden barrels to gradual oxidation), and the Waitrose Reserve Tawny, from Vila Nova de Gaia, is very enjoyable.

Grapes are hand-harvested from rugged terraces and the drink blended in seasoned oak casks and aged for an average of seven years. The tipple has smooth flavours of caramelised nuts balanced with fig and raisin character.

It's down from £12.99 to £10.99.

Meanwhile, Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) 2010 port, down from £15 to £12, is a cracking more informal alternative to Vintage Port.

One thing we don't like is the font on the label which makes the 1 in 2010 look like an I. "20I0". But that's a minor quibble.

It's rich, robust and fruity. Good enough to pass on the pudding, to sip this instead.

As an LBV, its longer wood ageing means it's ready to drink when bottled, needs no decanting and remains in good condition for several weeks after opening - meaning you needn't rush it down to finish the bottle or overkill the fine dining evenings.

* TALKING of fine dining, an award-winning hotel and restaurant in North Yorkshire, the Black Swan in Helmsley, is to host a plush Italian wine dinner on October 12, featuring wines from the Cantine San Marzano vineyards.

Cantine San Marzano, in Taranto, in the heel of Italy, dates back to 1962 when 19 local vineyards going back generations formed a cooperative. The collective now attracts more than 1,200 growers.

A selection of its wines have been paired with cuisine for a five-course menu created for this event by Black Swan head chef Alan O’Kane. It will be hosted by Angelo Cotugno, from San Marzano.

For details, including prices and B&B options, visit www.blackswan-helmsley.co.uk/event/italian-wine-dinner-with-cantine-san-marzano/