This swanky retro Port Wine Cheese Ball has a touch of a sneaky heat balanced balanced with the sweet port wine.
Spread the cheese on crackers or apple slices for a fun party appetizer idea.
"Love this recipe!" ★★★★★-Heidi
This little Port Wine Cheese Ball was popular retro appetizers from the 70s. It was served at all of the dinner parties as a holiday appetizer.
And why not? Wine + Cheese= Perfection. They were on to something back then.
My grandmother kept a container of the Wisconsin made version in her fridge that she bought at the store. When I came to visit as a child, I would break into the port wine cheese spread and lather that cheese all over a ritz cracker.
You can still find a store version at all your local grocery stores, but the homemade version is so much better!!!!! I hope you love it as much as we do. Enjoy! Xoxo-Katie.
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Watch how to make
What is port wine cheese made of?
Port Wine cheese is a combination of sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and port wine. The cheese mixture creates an orange and reddish color because of the addition of the port wine.
(The full recipe with measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.)
Steps
Making a Port Wine Cheese Ball is relatively easy. Follow these simple steps:
- Preheat oven to 350. Bake almond slices on baking dish for 5 minutes or until toasted. Set aside.
- In a food processor, add cheddar cheese, cream cheese, port wine, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and seasoned salt. (Photo 2)
- Pulse until completely mixed and smooth.
- Using a spatula, transfer cheese mixture into a food storage container for 2 or more hours for the cheese to firm.
- Once firm, cut a piece of parchment paper and empty the mixture in center of parchment paper. Form into a ball. You can use the parchment paper to help you form the ball.
- Cut an additional piece of parchment paper. Place toasted almond slices on parchment paper.Roll the cheese ball in the toasted almonds until it is completely covered with the toasted almonds.
Serve with sliced apples or your favorite crackers.
Cheese tip
ALWAYS freshly shred your cheese for this recipe. The pre-shredded cheese has a coating that keeps it dry that prevents it from breaking down properly to absorb the flavors.
Do you have to use almonds?
I make this cheese ball with almonds. Traditionally, the store made port wine cheese balls are rolled in almonds also.
Some people like it covered in pecans. That is good also.
Flavor Tip
I like to mix a bit of cayenne pepper to balance the sweet and salty with a bit of heat. It doesn't make it hot, it just makes your taste buds POP with each little bite. Cayenne pepper is not traditionally added to a port wine cheese ball, so this is optional.
About the recipe
This swanky retro Port Wine Cheese Ball recipe was featured in City View Magazine.
If you like this wine recipe, check out my other recipes featured in the City View Magazine such as:
If you liked this easy homemade port wine cheese ball recipe, please leave me a comment and tell me how it went. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your swanky retro appetizer on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Port Wine Cheese Ball Recipe
Equipment
- food proccesor
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 8 ounces fine grated sharp cheddar freshly shredded
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ⅓ cup port wine
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- crackers or apple slices to serve with
Instructions
- Set oven to 350 degrees. Bake sliced almond on baking dish for 5 minutes or until toasted. Set aside.1 cup sliced almonds
- In a food processor, add sharp cheddar, cream cheese, port wine, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and seasoned salt. Pulse until completely mixed and smooth.8 ounces fine grated sharp cheddar, 8 ounces cream cheese, ⅓ cup port wine, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- Using a spatula, transfer cheese mixture into a food storage container for 2 or more hours for the cheese to firm.
- Once firm, cut a piece of parchment paper and empty the mixture in center of parchment paper. Form into a ball. You can use the parchment paper to help you form the ball.
- Cut an additional piece of parchment paper. Place toasted almond slices on parchment paper.
- Roll the cheese ball in the toasted almonds until it is completely covered with the toasted almonds. Serve with sliced apples or your favorite crackers.
Suzanne Brown says
Way too much Port! Next time I will do half of the recipe amount. I added more sharp cheese to compensate for too much wine. Otherwise it's a good recipe
Nicole says
Growing up in Oshkosh, WI, I always eating the store bought version you referred to! It was so good, I am excited to try this recipe! Thanks for posting .
Heidi Birkenkamp says
Love this recipe!
marilyn ackerman says
Wonderful...Haven't made this since, well, the 70's. Have leftover port from making
red cabbage for the holidays. Can't wait to have my 17 year old grandson try this vintage cheeseball.
Mike Hofer says
I like this recipe because it's simple, the portions of the cheeses are equal. I personally LOVE EXTRA SHARP cheddar cheese, and the other recipe I tried used 2 to 1 ratio cheddar cheese to cream cheese, respectfully 16 ounces of cheddar to 8 ounces of cream cheese. That's going to be salty even with a mild cheddar. It also used butter and that didn't do a thing for the recipe.
My wife thinks salt is a spice, she's Irish, I get it, so I tailor the foods I make for her leaving out things like cayenne pepper and I drastically reduce Worcestershire sauce to please her palette. I'm confident that she'll LOVE this cheese ball and I can't wait for her to try it.
One note, and not to be critical, if you're going to include the "Nutrition Facts" in the recipe, which I think is bloody brilliant on your part, you really should give a quantifiable serving size, not that the recipe makes 20 servings at 121 calories per serving. Unless, of course, you actually take the time to mark the log to determine the "1 - 20th of a serving. But don''t listen to me, I'm old, fat and bald and I tend to upset people, not intentionally! (anymore)
Kathleen @ CakesPrices says
This is definitely a recipe you can try if you want to impress your guests. I've done something similar last year for Christmas and there were no leftovers! It is on my to-do list for this winter, thank you for sharing!
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
I freaking LOVE port wine cheese balls. Every holiday season, my family would have cheese balls and I could literally sit down and eat a half of one all by myself. Love the sharp cheese and bold wine flavors. Totally making this recipe over the holidays 🙂