port and cigars

[TheValKitty]

Does anyone else enjoy pairing port and cigars? I really enjoy port with a Rocky Patel Rennaisance or a Tatuaje.

What kind of port do you like?

[gitfiddl]

"Any port in a storm" as the saying goes.  I don't know a damn thing about wine, but I dig your blog.  I'm gonna have to try the recipes!

[lubrix]

I never got into Ports,too sweet for me.

[nirab]

I don't drink alcohol anymore, but when I did, I enjoyed a great port along with a great cigar. Most excellent pairing indeed!  

[TheValKitty]

Thanks!

I was confused about the recipes until I remembered I just posted about the peach cordial I am trying to make :)

[TheValKitty]

I tend to prefer the more aged tawny ports.

[nwb]

I'm not a fan of wine, but I love a good port with a cigar a few times a year.  Great combination IMHO.

[SenorPablo]

It's been awhile but it always like a good 10 or 20 year Tawny - the older the better.

-Paul

[TheValKitty]

nwb - 6/17/2012  8:47 PM

I'm not a fan of wine, but I love a good port with a cigar a few times a year.  Great combination IMHO.

I am right there with you - most wines are too tannic for me, and so I mostly drink mead or coffee with my cigars, unless I have a good port.

[87North]

I like a port from time to time, as well as a good heavy red wine, or a nice beer, or vodka tonic, or rum, or scotch, or bourbon, or my latest new love Rye... Or coffee, or iced tea, or hot tea, or sometimes just some water.  But yes, I sometimes enjoy port with my cigar.

[Brlesq]

87North - 6/19/2012  3:30 PM

I like a port from time to time, as well as a good heavy red wine, or a nice beer, or vodka tonic, or rum, or scotch, or bourbon, or my latest new love Rye... Or coffee, or iced tea, or hot tea, or sometimes just some water.  But yes, I sometimes enjoy port with my cigar.

   

[87North]

Brlesq - 6/19/2012  2:33 PM

87North - 6/19/2012  3:30 PM

I like a port from time to time, as well as a good heavy red wine, or a nice beer, or vodka tonic, or rum, or scotch, or bourbon, or my latest new love Rye... Or coffee, or iced tea, or hot tea, or sometimes just some water.  But yes, I sometimes enjoy port with my cigar.

   

Excuse me Bruce, I was talking.  It's rude to interrupt.  

[FNA]

For those who find Port "too sweet" may I suggest Madeira wines.

My favorite Port style is of course vintage port.  Nothing like a wine that one has personally aged for 20 or more years.  However, like most others, I cannot afford to indulge my taste for vintage Port as often as I would like.  That's why it's great that Port wine offers so many options.

Among the first of those options is Port-style wine.  Port comes from Port-ugal, in days past exclusively shipped from Opporto.  Nowadays, we see Port-style wines, called port, shipped from several American states, South African and Australia.  Australia produces several very highly thought of Port-style wines in the tawny style including Clocktower and Galway Pipe.  The Clocktower is a very sweet, dark brown wine with a cordial like body.  I can highly recommend either of these brands and in general I can recommend Oz ports.

Back to the genuine article.  It is not uncommon today to find Late Bottled Vintage or LBV Port.  This and another style, Colheita, are made from a single harvest of grapes as is vintage Port.  The big difference is time.  Vintage Port is bottled after 2 years in wooden barrels, LBV after 4-6 years, and Colheita after a minimum of 7 years.  Some commenters believe LBV is as close to a vintage Port as one can come.  LBV is generally the least expensive of these 3 types, usually under $30 a bottle.

Tawnies and Rubies are blends of different vintages (harvests).  Ruby is likely the most popular style worldwide.  Long aged tawny ports, 20 and 30 year aged, can be as expensive as a bottle of vintage, the big difference being you can take a 20 year old tawny home, pull the cork and drink it.

Don't throw the ruby Port out with the bathwater.  Many Port "houses" offer their ruby Ports under the house proprietary label such as Fonseca Bin 27, Warre's Warrior, Sandeman's Founder's reserve and Graham's Six Grapes.  These wines have very wide distribution.  The Port houses want to sell their highly coveted vintage wines;  these proprietary wines are the public face (maybe I should say Public taste) of the wineries in the 6 out of 10 years that they are not producing vintage wines.

Port and cigars in the war room, gentlemen (and ladies).

[gitfiddl]

SenorPablo - 6/17/2012  9:54 PM

It's been awhile but it always like a good 10 or 20 year Tawny - the older the better.

-Paul

I don't know.  I tend to like the younger Tawny better:

[Beegerply]

I like port with a cigar just don't seem to drink it very often

[BlackIrish]

Port is one of my favorite choices to accompany a cigar after dinner.  I don't have much to add to FNA's excellent post except to echo his recommendation of vintage ports when you're flush and LBV ports most of the time.  Tawny is my favorite because the burnt caramel toffee flavors are ideal for pairing. Madeira is an excellent suggestion, too, and I'll be back with some specific suggestions when I get a chance to look at some of the bottles I have and refresh my memory of the names.

[akira]

Beegerply - 6/19/2012  2:01 PM

I like port with a cigar just don't seem to drink it very often

Same here.

[DonM]

I am not a wine connoisseur but have had the occasion of a few port wines and really enjoyed them when paired with a cigar

[TheValKitty]

Thank you for all this information! It is very helpful!

FNA - 6/19/2012  3:28 PM

For those who find Port "too sweet" may I suggest Madeira wines.

My favorite Port style is of course vintage port.  Nothing like a wine that one has personally aged for 20 or more years.  However, like most others, I cannot afford to indulge my taste for vintage Port as often as I would like.  That's why it's great that Port wine offers so many options.

Among the first of those options is Port-style wine.  Port comes from Port-ugal, in days past exclusively shipped from Opporto.  Nowadays, we see Port-style wines, called port, shipped from several American states, South African and Australia.  Australia produces several very highly thought of Port-style wines in the tawny style including Clocktower and Galway Pipe.  The Clocktower is a very sweet, dark brown wine with a cordial like body.  I can highly recommend either of these brands and in general I can recommend Oz ports.

Back to the genuine article.  It is not uncommon today to find Late Bottled Vintage or LBV Port.  This and another style, Colheita, are made from a single harvest of grapes as is vintage Port.  The big difference is time.  Vintage Port is bottled after 2 years in wooden barrels, LBV after 4-6 years, and Colheita after a minimum of 7 years.  Some commenters believe LBV is as close to a vintage Port as one can come.  LBV is generally the least expensive of these 3 types, usually under $30 a bottle.

Tawnies and Rubies are blends of different vintages (harvests).  Ruby is likely the most popular style worldwide.  Long aged tawny ports, 20 and 30 year aged, can be as expensive as a bottle of vintage, the big difference being you can take a 20 year old tawny home, pull the cork and drink it.

Don't throw the ruby Port out with the bathwater.  Many Port "houses" offer their ruby Ports under the house proprietary label such as Fonseca Bin 27, Warre's Warrior, Sandeman's Founder's reserve and Graham's Six Grapes.  These wines have very wide distribution.  The Port houses want to sell their highly coveted vintage wines;  these proprietary wines are the public face (maybe I should say Public taste) of the wineries in the 6 out of 10 years that they are not producing vintage wines.

Port and cigars in the war room, gentlemen (and ladies).

[Akkahuna]

I have a bottle of Penfolds Grandfather Tawney Port and a bottle of Grahams Tawny Port, both 30 year old and they are great for after dinner pairing with a good cigar.

[nwb]

For a cheaper option, I've really enjoyed Graham's Six Grapes.

[Punch]

I also enjoy a good cigar paired with a good Port. I have a friend in Lisbon who sends me red and white port from Quinta Do Castelinho. Also very good is Hartley & Gibson's Oloroso Sherry from the Jerez region of southwestern Spain. You may get both from wine specialty stores or on the web.

-Punch

[f2000]

In addition to the LBVs, try out the Quintas.  A bit more expensive than the LBV, but not as much as true vintage.  The quinta is basically a single estate LBV.  For me, I've found the character of the quintas to be more enjoyable.  Though generally if I'm drinking that the cigar is a far second consideration.

[sgtslaughter]

I've never thought if pairing port with a cigar, but it sounds good.

[sgtslaughter]

I've never thought if pairing port with a cigar, but it sounds good.