CIGARS and WINE

[Montaigut]

Okay, here is something that has been nagging me for a while. Every once in a while I will run across an article or a thread that compares cigars to wine: young vs aged, aging potential, grape varieties or leaf blend influence on taste, etc... I will be the first to admit that I am not a wine or a cigar expert even though I do enjoy partaking in both.

But for the life of me I cannot relate to this comparison.

Here is why.

I am reasonably certain that I can expect different bottles of a particular wine, say Pic Saint Loup 2007, to taste exactly the same provided they were stored under proper conditions. Futhermore, I am also reasonably certain that all of the sips from a bottle will taste the same.

My personal experience, and limited cigar palate, tells me a different story for cigars.

For example I expect that boxes of a particular cigar with the same box codes, say RASS, will not necessarily taste the same. And furthermore my experience also tells me that there will be differences between cigars within the same box! The results of the latest Global Blind Test are a prime example of this. Here is a panel of cigar smokers with tons of experience and refined palates, present writer excepted, that were unable to agree on the identity of three cigars even though the number of choices were greatly reduced by the mystery cigar selection criteria.

Do you share my befuddlement? What am I missing here in the comparison?

Thanks and cheers

Dan

[Colt45]

Do you share my befuddlement? What am I missing here in the comparison?

Dan I agree - and this from someone who has used the wine analogy many times. I think the biggest thing is that wine / grapes

are processed and produced in bulk, to produce as you've alluded to, a fairly consistent final product. Bottle variation for a

wine is usually a result of post production handling and storage.

Cigars / tobacco are a bit different - each leaf is processed on it's own. Leaf can be substituted. Different vegas. A lot of

possible variables. One improperly processed leaf blended with one properly processed can give a result that differs from one

cigar to the next.

[DrinkSmokeGolf]

I think there's two separate issues here.

Cigars and wine do have many similarities as they both get better with age (in most cases), and the flavor varies based on country of manufacturer. I think we can all agree Cuban cigars have their own distinct flavor profile as does a wine made in California vs. a wine made in France.

Now, of course there is going to be more variety in cigars as there are far more variances in production of cigars as opposed to wine. Wine makers make a large batch of wine and then place it in barrels to age. All of that wine is coming from the same batch so it will be very consistent. Cigars on the other hand, are rolled from many different individuals and the tobacco leaves used in each cigar will have slight variances.

Despite the inconsistency found in cigars, it still makes perfect sense to compare it to wine in terms of aging and country of origin.

[Ken Gargett]

one thing to consider is that under cork, you do get some variation between bottles, even if sometimes very minor. sometimes less so.

under screwcap, that variable is almost completely removed.

[headstand]

Agree on the whole with the consistency of flavor with a wine from same vintage vs cigars from a box - however I can attest to the veracity of the saying " there are no great wines, only great bottles". Fortunately disappointments are rare. The young vs aged aspect however is what moved me from being an occasional singles buyer, to being a wholehearted cigar box purchaser. It was both a glorious day and a sad day when I discovered that cigars could age like my wine collection (mostly CDP, I love my CDP). Glorious in that I had another avenue for indulging in the vanity of building a collection, sad only for my wallet.

[mk05]

I compare wine to cigars a lot because it is a similar commodity. The characteristics are similar. That said, I think more make the comparisons as on the whole, or across the board - it's a Marco level. By that I mean it allows you to compare vintages.

[Ken Gargett]

Agree on the whole with the consistency of flavor with a wine from same vintage vs cigars from a box - however I can attest to the veracity of the saying " there are no great wines, only great bottles". Fortunately disappointments are rare. The young vs aged aspect however is what moved me from being an occasional singles buyer, to being a wholehearted cigar box purchaser. It was both a glorious day and a sad day when I discovered that cigars could age like my wine collection (mostly CDP, I love my CDP). Glorious in that I had another avenue for indulging in the vanity of building a collection, sad only for my wallet.

on board with all that with one minor qualification, which relates back to my earlier post. i believe that the saying should be 'no great wines, only great corks'. perfect example - one of the greatest wines i've had in recent years was a 1990 comte de vogue musigny brought along to a lunch by a mate. truly magnificent.

we recently had another from the same box - same cellar etc etc. utterly bog average. such a disappointment.

[headstand]

on board with all that with one minor qualification, which relates back to my earlier post. i believe that the saying should be 'no great wines, only great corks'. perfect example - one of the greatest wines i've had in recent years was a 1990 comte de vogue musigny brought along to a lunch by a mate. truly magnificent.

we recently had another from the same box - same cellar etc etc. utterly bog average. such a disappointment.

Good point.

[semery74]

Anything that utilizes yeast in preparation of the product will remain analogous to Cuban cigars in my book.