I completely understand your thinking. I would be thinking the same way.

I've always felt that port, more than regular wine and cigars, is less desireable at the lower end. (Cheap port is really bad. :-)) Some of the suggested tawny ports come in half-bottles for around $12-$15. An affordable tawny port is from Australia and is called Hardy's Whiskers Blake and runs around $13 for a full bottle. Not as refined as the aged tawny in the $20-$30 range but better than the cheapos.

Another option is to find someone (not necessarily a cigar smoker) in your social cirlcle who might want to sample a tawny as wwell and 2 or 3 of you could split the bottle.

You could always come out to the west coast and herf and drink with us SoCal BOTLs. :-)
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Or if I ever had time away from this freakin job :-) I could actually herf with the brother who lives maybe 30 minutes away :-), and bring some good, but inexpensive, tawny.

Like this
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She does look cheap! :-)
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Not sure he'll like this one, Oz sweets are mostly sugar and unless you get into high end you won't find much acidity in them.

Perhaps he needs to try a late harvest Zinfandel, they usually contain a nice doze of acidity and also do not have as much sugar. One to try is Dashe, comes in splits (and goes great with chocolate desserts as well). There are a few more great ones, but they rarely make it out of CA.

Another recommendation is to try Spanish Sherries, ones made from Pedro Ximenez grape, I find them more of a cigar drink than most Ports.
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I guarantee that too.

It's like trying a Optimo for a cigar and saying you don't like cigars, so trying a Cohiba is not worth it...

A least get a tawny that is made in Portugal and has at least 10 years age on it.
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If money is the issue, try some aged tawny by the glass at a restaurant. Great way to decide on spirits without buying a bottle also.

What was it about the $25 bottle you tried and did not like? Perhaps port is not for you? It's not for everyone. PX Sherry is nice with cigars, but you'll only be able to drink a glass or two. Sauternes, Tokay, Late Harvest, Ice Wines are all wonderful, but price is a big deal on these. Sweet wines really need a minimum pricepoint to taste like anything.

I do not recommend port wine from any other country thatn Portugal.
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I'd say that is true for just about all Spanish Sherry. Poor man's Madeira, lol... Actually Sherry is a give away for the age and effort that goes into it. One of the last hidden gem values in the wine world.

Sherry was one of the most popular wine styles in the USA for a long time, and now it's totally off the radar.
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Some are hit and miss and they are all in different styles (and grapes). Even PX ones are all over the board, some are great and some are too sweet for me with not enough acidity to carry them. But they are relatively affordable for what's in the bottle and are easy on the wallet to try a few to see what one likes.

I was just curious about your quote in the prior post, do you drink more than a glass or two with cigar?
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Not of PX, actually not more than two glasses of anything with just one corona size cigar. I actually drink water most of the time with a cigar.
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Thought so :-) I know a lot of us can easily handle a bottle or more of dry wines, but when it comes to sweet stuff it is no more than glass, just too much stuffing in there.
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I have no problem killing a bottle of port by myself, but with a serious cigar, it's hard to drink as much. Our port tasting are set for a bottle a person. I've gone up to about 2 bottles before... Don't tell me my healthcare provider :-) :-)
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bogle tawnt or sandemans reserve arent bad
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....or a good tawny port from Australia.

Fonseca does make some very good ones, my first was Fonseca Bin 29.
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The best so far for me is Taylor Fladgate 20 yr. Hard to find here though, but well worth it.:-)
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Warre's "Nimrod" Port is suppose to be excellent for the price. Have not had it before, but I trust the people who told me.
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