port and cigars

twistedstem

Just a few weeks ago my brother in law introduced me to drinking port while smoking cigars.I found them to be an excellent combination so ive tried a few brands.I find sandeman to be really good,i bought a cheap bottle the other day ($5) and was a litle dissapointed.was wondering if anyone else enjoys this combo and what brands they enjoy

Rob1110

Port is a pretty big beast. You've got Ruby (unaged or steel tank/concrete mellowed), Tawny (barrel aged and usually blended), Late Harvest Vintage (Barreled for a short period of time from a single vintage, meant to be opened and consumed when purchased) and true vintage (barreled for a short time and meant to bottle age for 10, 20 or even 30+ years on a good vintage). It's all wine that's been fortified with high proof Brandy to halt fermentation and hold residual sugars, originally to help the wine survive long shipping periods. It used to be that all port had to come from the Douro region of Portugal but they seem to be more lenient these days on the name.

Taylor Fladgate puts out some good products. They're easy to find, reasonably priced and good quality. Much like cognac, younger port shows more youth and fruit notes but can be a bit harsh. Older port shows richness and complexities gained from the barrel, which adds a dry, tannic note to the finish, rounding out the sweetness of the front pallet. Sandeman makes some decent stuff as well. Fonseca Bin 27 isn't bad. I wasn't impressed with Noval Black - very harsh. Grahm, Warre and Dow also make good products from my experience. Bogle makes a Ruby Port style wine (they're from Cali) from Petite Sirah that's very drinkable. We just opened a bottle of 2003 Vintage Four Grapes (Pedroncelli) the other night - they're another California wine maker trying their hand at Port and it was pretty nice.

If you can get your hands on a 20 or 30 year old port, that should pair well with a cigar. The complexities of those ports and the oak influence will complement a fuller bodied cigar. They're a bit pricey but port should keep for at least a month once opened, unlike wine, since Port is fortified. It's going to be tough to find a $5 bottle that's a gem. I find until you hit the $20+ range MINIMUM, it's tough to find a really good port. Don't be afraid to drop $50+ on a bottle. Once you do, it's tough to look back.

rzaman

Rob explained it very nicely. Aged port is a classic drink and it is bassically a sweet, red wine. My favourite port brand is GRAHAM Vintage porto. I have two bottles from 1994. If you talk about balanced, rich, deep coloured and packed with fruit vinho do porto then few brands can beat Portuguese port. The other country makes good port is South Africa. I like the Roy Zeropico. I prefer my Graham port with a bold, spicy, woody, aged Padron Family Reserve 45th, 1926 80th or Viaje Oro or Plantino reserve kind of cigars. It simply lift up the smoking and drinking pleasure in another level.