Port wine + Mace
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 695 recipes, and they share 7 flavor molecules: the top 15% of all ingredient pairs.
Do port wine and mace go together?
Yes. 695 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 7 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 15% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 7 flavor molecules: 21% of mace's 34. Among the shared key aromas are linalool (floral, citrus) and alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
port wine
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 35% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for mace. It carries 161 molecules mace doesn't have.
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for port wine. It carries 27 molecules port wine doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Clove: the best fit for both, top 12% of pairs with port wine, top 6% with mace.
- Nutmeg: top 17% of pairs with port wine, top 4% with mace.
- Currant: top 9% of pairs with port wine, top 12% with mace.
- Fig: top 6% of pairs with port wine, top 17% with mace.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with port wine and mace
Almost always mains: 22 of the 25 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: port wine has 161 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 27 that port wine doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 7 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 161 only in port wine and the 27 only in mace.
Port wine and mace questions
Do port wine and mace go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 695 recipes, and they share 7 flavor molecules: the top 15% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do port wine and mace taste good together?
They overlap on 7 flavor molecules: 21% of mace's 34. Among the shared key aromas are linalool (floral, citrus) and alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with port wine and mace?
Clove is the best third ingredient: top 12% of pairs with port wine and top 6% with mace. Nutmeg and currant also fit both.
What can you make with port wine and mace?
Almost always mains: 22 of the 25 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Sauce for Wildfowl, Beef Fritters, Brown Ragout Soup, Camp Vinegar.
Can I use mace instead of port wine?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: port wine has 161 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 27 that port wine doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Port Wine vs Mace. https://compkitchen.com/compare/port-wine-vs-mace. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_port_wine_vs_mace_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Port Wine vs Mace},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/port-wine-vs-mace},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.