Alan, agree that champagne is magical with cigars. One of my best memories with my dad is drinking a magnum of Krug 1990 while enjoying a cigar. Port and Sauternes are also good matches. Even though my business is beer I don’t really dig beer with cigars. Usually the heat and flavor of the cigar will overpower the body of the beer.
20+ year old Tawny. I am a Bourbon drinker but I think that something lower in alcohol works better. I would not choose to drink any ordinary table wine or beer with a cigar.
I’ve had similar experiences with cigars amplifying the acids in wine. I have tried Champagne and cigars before and it was truly awful, the acidity and effervescence really clashed with the cigar.
Here are my usual pairings:
Light-Medium Cigar: Verdelo/Bual/Malmsey Madeira, Tawny Port and Australian Tokay/Muscat.
Full Bodied Cigar: Ruby/LBV/Vintage Port, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.
To the “never with table wine” chorus, is it (a) that you don’t think you can appreciate a good wine properly alongside a cigar, (b) that you don’t think any table wines taste decent alongside a cigar, or (c) both?
Point (a) I certainly get. I wouldn’t waste a really good bottle of red wine alongside a cigar. I personally don’t get point (b) – I think a big modern zin or Rhone tastes pretty good with a cigar, and works roughly as well as spirits and other things you might drink with it. It’s certainly not an unpleasant beverage to have with a cigar.
[I feel the same way about wine with non-traditional food pairings. For example, I realize most red wines aren’t a great match for Asian food, and I wouldn’t open a 1990 Bordeaux to pair with vindaloo or Pad Thai or Kung Pao, but that doesn’t mean I won’t drink a lusty low-tannin red wine with it and enjoy it. I’m a _Wine_ Berserker, after all.]
a
LBV
I love the deep fruitiness that contrasts the smoky traits of the cigar.
Big +1.
Also like dark rum and cola, or a sweet coffee drink.
Cheers,
Blair
It snowed here today (ok, for only 20 minutes), but it’s back to 70F tomorrow. So I’ll be breaking away from the usual suspects and will try a Flor de Las Antillas with some Baileys…neat in one glass, on ice in another.
I smoke a couple of cigars a week, ones from Mr. Casto’s island.
But I love wine too much to smoke while drinking it. Even a beautiful subtle cigar.
On the other hand, I dp like a good cigar with fortified wines and spirits.
You might say I’m just a stick-in-the-mud traditionalist, but I think that smpking only has its place when the meal is over, and that it is an insult to the taste buds prior to this.
Furthermore, who wants to drink a delicate Burgundy or Champagne with a cigar? While it might not be in any way unpleasant, we all know that the best wines are subtle ones. And that subtlety can be impaired by tobacco - but less so with stronger drinks.
Alex R.
Lagavulin or Oban preferred.
Ruby Port Works too
I have also enjoyed Crown Roral and Gingerale.
Always a Partagas Series D #4