Wine for Beginners

[mazolaman]

Enjoying a fine Barolo this evening.

A vendemmia 2006(doesn't sate which vinyard),which cost £12.(a little more than I would usually spend).

But it is bloody good.A real aroma of raisin,almost sherry.

Taste of rich dark cherry,and plum,with just the right amount of oaky tannin to finish...

Colt-dead right,these wines have been evolved by folk trying to make the best of what they have and can grow,hence the regional characteristics.

[Ken Gargett]

I think my luck and selection at the LCBO (alchohol distribution/sales is monopolized by our provincial gov't) is what's to blame for my Barolo woes. The style definitely suits me. The two best bottles I had were thanks to my good friend who whenever he's invited for dinner and cigars he has the common decency to bring an excellent wine. Two times he brought a 1999 & 2001 bottle of Barolo the names of which escape both he and I. Ever since I've been searching high and low to recapture the aromas and flavours I experienced then. I've tried bottles at the $50 range and $25 range. The wines were not up to snuff. They didn't have the inky richness that I came to expect. Thankfully, the Amarone market is easier to nagivate. More selection and slightly lower prices. These days my Tatone Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2005's always put a smile on my face.

i thinik the very cheapest barolo we'd see out here would be near on $80 to $100 and rising after that. it might be that importers here don't bother with the cheaper stuff because of competition with local stuff. probably means we see pretty much the pointy end but barolo is expensive here.

[shrink]

Ooops! I misread the title of this thread...

thought it said "Wife for Beginners"

[Orion21]

Wine with cigars is easy. I have been into wine much longer than cigars and this is what I have learned:

1) Most Bordeaux wines go well with food and cigars. They are a good choice because they are meaty and very full bodied. You do not need to spend $50-$100 on a fancy bottle. Many in the $20-$30 range are great for novices like 2005 Chateau Lanessan Haut Medoc. This is a great wine for $30US.

2) For wine specifically paired for a cigar I love late harvest wines in the Zinfandel or Cabernet variety. The sweetness of the wine brings out the earthiness and spice of the cigar perfectly. A lot of people enjoy port, but I find it has too much alcohol for my taste.

3) Ice wine . . . my Canadian friends will know this well -- I hope. It is intensely sweet, but in small amounts it goes really well with a medium bodied cigar.

I hope this helps get you jump started. Food, Wine and Cigars -- perfect!

[Ken Gargett]

Wine with cigars is easy. I have been into wine much longer than cigars and this is what I have learned:

1) Most Bordeaux wines go well with food and cigars. They are a good choice because they are meaty and very full bodied. You do not need to spend $50-$100 on a fancy bottle. Many in the $20-$30 range are great for novices like 2005 Chateau Lanessan Haut Medoc. This is a great wine for $30US.

2) For wine specifically paired for a cigar I love late harvest wines in the Zinfandel or Cabernet variety. The sweetness of the wine brings out the earthiness and spice of the cigar perfectly. A lot of people enjoy port, but I find it has too much alcohol for my taste.

3) Ice wine . . . my Canadian friends will know this well -- I hope. It is intensely sweet, but in small amounts it goes really well with a medium bodied cigar.

I hope this helps get you jump started. Food, Wine and Cigars -- perfect!

the ice wine i agree with. so too the late harvest wines, though down here we really do not see that style at all. normal cabs and zins, i would suggest work far less well. are they making that many sweeties from those varieties in the states?

red bordeaux, i just don't get it with cigars. tannins stuff things up. i guess full bodied is a relative term. down here, we have a range of sparkling shiraz which usually have considerable levels of sweetness, though the better ones are so well balanced, it is hardly apparent. they work well with cigars (and i am told haggis but cannot comment personally) and i suspect that is a similar match to your sweet reds.

do agree with your comments re pricing, just not as a match with cigars. find a great deal more pleasure with ports and rums etc.

[Colt45]

red bordeaux, i just don't get it with cigars. tannins stuff things up.

KG, as we've discussed a few times, I feel the same way. To me, cigar smoke really brings out the tannin and kills the flavor of pretty much all red wines.

Funny, it doesn't stop you from partaking during vid reviews...........

[maalouly]

KG, as we've discussed a few times, I feel the same way. To me, cigar smoke really brings out the tannin and kills the flavor of pretty much all red wines.

Funny, it doesn't stop you from partaking during vid reviews...........

I feel that a Chablis, champagne (obviously because it has chardonnay) and some late harvest Semillon go perfectly with cigars. Ken perhaps a sherry?

[dicko]

KG, as we've discussed a few times, I feel the same way. To me, cigar smoke really brings out the tannin and kills the flavor of pretty much all red wines.

Funny, it doesn't stop you from partaking during vid reviews...........

Me 3.

I reckon any Aussie shiraz-cab or cab-merlot around the $20-30 aud mark is a good prospect for an intro into wine.

[dicko]

I feel that a Chablis, champagne (obviously because it has chardonnay) and some late harvest Semillon go perfectly with cigars. Ken perhaps a sherry?

Agree Elie I reckon champagne goes great with wine. I can't really afford 'champagne' right now but give me a $20-30 yarra valley or tassie sparkling and im stoked.

[Ken Gargett]

I feel that a Chablis, champagne (obviously because it has chardonnay) and some late harvest Semillon go perfectly with cigars. Ken perhaps a sherry?

with good mates, elie, i'd share an 01 valmur chablis, but that is just me!!

and a sherry (elie, don't forget that sherry can be everything from bone dry to incredibly rich and sweet), notwithstanding the obvious and unfortunate sarcasm in your response, could work. on a serious note, not certain it is the chardy in fizz that makes it work.

[jwm8592]

Hey Guys,

Pardon my piggybacking of this thread, but I am another who knows very little about wine. But I have struck up a relationship w/a friend of a friend who lives in the Napa area and we have began trading some wine for cigars. The following are of few of the offerings he has sent me, just wondered if any were familiar:

- 2006 Howell Mountain Merlot by Fluery Vineyards

- 2008 Sullivan Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot

- 2008 Migration Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

- 2009 Copain Monument Tree Pinot Noir

- 2007 Levy & McClellan Cabernet

He did fill me in on the last offering, that it was an extremely expensive bottle of wine. My question is about the aging potential. How due you determine whether or not a wine is good for aging. What I know about this L & M is that its from 2007 and is just now being released, or is about to be released in Spring 2011. My friend is a bottler and the L & M is one of the wines he bottles for, thus his ability to acquire some prior to the release. Again, not sure I'll ever be a wine connoisseur but I do enjoy a bottle every now & again. Any info anyone could pass on would be helpful. Man, cigars are hard enough to keep up on w/o getting into the wines, like Colt stated.

thx,

[Ken Gargett]

Hey Guys,

Pardon my piggybacking of this thread, but I am another who knows very little about wine. But I have struck up a relationship w/a friend of a friend who lives in the Napa area and we have began trading some wine for cigars. The following are of few of the offerings he has sent me, just wondered if any were familiar:

- 2006 Howell Mountain Merlot by Fluery Vineyards

- 2008 Sullivan Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot

- 2008 Migration Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

- 2009 Copain Monument Tree Pinot Noir

- 2007 Levy & McClellan Cabernet

He did fill me in on the last offering, that it was an extremely expensive bottle of wine. My question is about the aging potential. How due you determine whether or not a wine is good for aging. What I know about this L & M is that its from 2007 and is just now being released, or is about to be released in Spring 2011. My friend is a bottler and the L & M is one of the wines he bottles for, thus his ability to acquire some prior to the release. Again, not sure I'll ever be a wine connoisseur but I do enjoy a bottle every now & again. Any info anyone could pass on would be helpful. Man, cigars are hard enough to keep up on w/o getting into the wines, like Colt stated.

thx,

we don't see many napa wines over here but i understand that the 07s are from an excellent vintage. no doubt, locals can fill you in on the specifics.

[Colt45]

I feel that a Chablis, champagne (obviously because it has chardonnay) and some late harvest Semillon go perfectly with cigars.

Elie, I find crisp whites and most sparklers to go well with cigars - buttery / oaky whites not as much. I feel that crisp whites are able to maintain their

character while not clashing with the cigar.

[Puros Y Vino]

Elie, I find crisp whites and most sparklers to go well with cigars - buttery / oaky whites not as much. I feel that crisp whites are able to maintain their

character while not clashing with the cigar.

Agreed. I've paired a cigar with a Pol Roger, Moet and even a cheap Spanish Cava (Cordoniu). Very enjoyable.

[Colt45]

Agreed. I've paired a cigar with a Pol Roger, Moet and even a cheap Spanish Cava (Cordoniu). Very enjoyable.

Don't forget the prosecco (and other Italian sparklers) !

[mazolaman]

I've always thought most sparklies go well with a cigar,the drier the better for me.

I recently had a smashing Chilean Castillo del diablo fizzy that was the nearest thing to champagne I've tasted.

Also recently had a great Aussie red called "the hedonist" McLaren Vale I think,Syrah.Great strong red with a strong cigar.(about 13 quid here)

As for sherry,one that goes beautifully with a cigar,Pedro ximenez reserva familia.Strong raisiny sweet.Fantastic.

[winelover]

This is one of the best threads in ages. I think the budget end of red can be very exciting as there are some rrally decent value for money choices out there. My favourite reds in this bracket tend to be New World wines from Chile and Argentina. Love Mendoza region Malbec and the quality of Chilean wine is almost unsurpassed at its price point.

Not a big Aussie wine drinker as I've always been unlucky and tried something way too fruity or in the case of whites the ones I've had are way too sweet. It's a shame as we buy so much Australian wine here (it's the biggest seller) and I can find nothing I really like between £6-£8 which is my usual price bracket. Any recommendations would be welcome as I remain open to persuasion.

At a slightly higher price point occasionally it is possible to pick up some decent claret. I had a bottle of Medoc recently from 2000 that was so rounded and simply delightful. Still if you look hard and show patience in waiting for the right offers you can get something very good for around £12.

I also enjoy whites and recently coupled a bottle of Chablis with a wild mushroom risotto and it worked a treat. I tend to prefer whites with a cigar and during the summer find Pinot Grigio to be a fairly inexpensive wine that usually delivers. Champers is my favourite to go with a cigar especially Veuve or Bolly but for special occasions.

I am also a big advocate of having a high quality brandy particularly an armagnac or a cognac with a cigar coupled with a glass of mineral water. I enjoy just sniffing from the brandy ballon and taking sips here and there whilst having say San Pellegrino on side to keep my mouth from drying.

Interested to hear about the US wines. I've had varying success with the Ernest Julio Gallo we get here at the lower end price point. I've had some decent Zinfandel from a wine tasting though.

Cheers (now feeling thirsty!)

G