Cigars with Wine and Port

Wine is trickier with cigars than bourbon or coffee. Cigar smoke is big, and most table wines are delicate enough to get flattened by it. The wines that pair best tend to be fortified, sweet, or both. Once you know that, the choices get simpler.

Port, the classic

Port is a fortified wine from Portugal, sweet and rich, and it has gone with cigars for as long as either has been around a fireplace. Its sweetness and weight stand up to a strong cigar instead of hiding behind it.

Tawny port is aged in wood, which gives it nutty, caramel notes. It's an easy match with medium cigars, especially Habano and Cameroon wrappers.

Ruby and vintage port are darker and fruitier, with plum and berry. Save them for full maduros, where the chocolate in the cigar and the fruit in the glass meet in the middle.

Sherry and Madeira

A dry sherry like fino is usually too light. A nutty oloroso, on the other hand, works well with medium-bodied cigars, and a syrupy Pedro Ximénez sherry is close to dessert in a glass and loves a dark maduro. Madeira has a tangy, toffee-like character and enough backbone to handle a fuller cigar.

Red wine

Red wine can work, but choose carefully. Heavy tannins and smoke tend to make each other taste harsh. Look for reds that are ripe and fruity, on the softer side. A big Zinfandel, a Malbec, or a ripe Shiraz can hold up to a medium or full cigar. A light Pinot Noir mostly disappears.

A good test is whether the wine tastes like fruit or like the inside of a barrel. Fruit usually pairs better.

Champagne and sparkling wine

This one surprises people. A dry Champagne or sparkling wine with a mild Connecticut cigar is a great brunch or celebration pairing. The bubbles clean your palate between draws, and the toasty, bready notes in the wine match a creamy wrapper. Skip it with a strong cigar.

What usually doesn't work

Light, crisp white wines and most rosés get lost. Very oaky, high-tannin reds tend to fight the cigar. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy them together. It just means you'll mostly taste the cigar.

A few tips

• Pour small. Port and sherry are rich and strong, so a two- or three-ounce pour goes a long way.
• Serve port slightly cool. Room temperature in an Oklahoma August is too warm.
• Keep water nearby. It resets your palate and slows you down.

For more pairing ideas, see cigar and bourbon pairing and cigars with coffee, beer, and rum. Tulsa's cigar lounges with full bars are the easiest place to try a few side by side.