cigars and red wine

[Ken Gargett]

an article from the decanter website -

A world first: cigars for wine lovers

December 19, 2006

A South African wine producer has created the world's first cigar designed specifically to complement the flavours of fine red wines.

Dubbed 'Series X', the cigars were launched by producer Mike Ratcliffe under the Vilafonté label – a sideline to the Bordeaux-blend wines (Series C and Series M) made by Ratcliffe in the joint venture with Californian winemaker Zelma Long.

Ratcliffe, who is keen to stress that the cigars are by no means the main focus of the business and 'just a bit of fun', was frustrated by the poor match that cigars make for fine red wine.

'Most are designed to be smoked with a glass of cognac, and murder any wine you drink,' he said. 'They just overpower the flavours of fine red wine.'

To achieve a more harmonious match, Vilafonté has blended a cigar in a lighter style using Cuban seed tobacco and a Sumatran wrapper.

'It's very much a work in progress,' said Ratcliffe. 'We've gone through two or three incarnations so far, and see it as a 10-year project. What we've learned is that you need the tightest possible coil as this has a positive impact on the smoothness of the draw and softness of the pillow of smoke. We've also switched from a Dominican to the Sumatran wrapper as the latter is lighter and sweeter.

'We have no intention of ever becoming a player in the cigar market,' he added.

The cigars are available via the company website (www.vilafonte.com) and Ratcliffe says he welcomes any criticism and comments.

'Ultimately we are working on a very specific and complicated project to match the extremely personal flavours of wine and cigar – it's not easy and we can't expect to please everyone.'

[Colt45]

I know I'll sound like a broken record, but I just don't enjoy this

combination. For me, it's not so much that the cigar overpowers the wine

flavor-wise, but that the cigar smoke really brings out the tannins in red

wine, muting the flavors in this way.

Perhaps creating a softer wine, rather than a "softer" cigar. I do like a crisp

white with a cigar, and still look forward to trying the cigar - champagne

combination.

[El Presidente]

Colt, I have found the only Red wines to really go with cigars are jammy, plummy, vanilla laden Shiraz's and fruit driven Temparanillo's.

Still love that combination :-P

[Colt45]

» Still love that combination :-P

doesn't Smithy as well........

:-P :-P

[anacostiakat]

» Colt, I have found the only Red wines to really go with cigars are jammy,

» plummy, vanilla laden Shiraz's and fruit driven Temparanillo's.

»

» Still love that combination :-P

Damn! I agree with this completely!:-D

[Ken Gargett]

» I know I'll sound like a broken record, but I just don't enjoy this

» combination. For me, it's not so much that the cigar overpowers the wine

» flavor-wise, but that the cigar smoke really brings out the tannins in

» red

» wine, muting the flavors in this way.

» Perhaps creating a softer wine, rather than a "softer" cigar. I do like a

» crisp

» white with a cigar, and still look forward to trying the cigar -

» champagne

» combination.

i'm more and more heading down this track. i find that automatically, if i am about to have a cigar at home, i move away from the reds, of any nature. the cigar/champers does have some merits but rums, bourbons, ports, muscats etc and again more and more, amontillado sherry.

there is an article in the UK mag, 'fine wine' (probably the best wine mag in the world) just published on matching cigars and wine. yet to read it but if anything interesting, will revert.

[habanablue]

Ken, great timing! I leave tomorrow for some R and R to South Africa and a story for ECCJ on the SA cigar scene. I will endeavour to pop into Vilafonte Wines and check out the cigar and its suitability with red wine.

Will post a detailed, exclusive review on FOH in the New Year.

cheers,

SAM

[Mikey]

I'm down that road,too.Ports,sherries,madeiras,single malts(lagavulin is my fave w/ a cigar),single batch bourbons and beer:-D are what I'll reach for to complement my smokes.I do have some bigass Zinfandels from Williams Selyem (Ca.) that run between 16.5 % and 17.2% al. that don't go w/ anything but a cigar.They're so big,juicy,and jammy that I've yet to find food that will go well with it,but it seems to go fairly well with a medium bodied smoke,like an SLR A or a Trinidad Fundadore.(You end up with purple teeth and a huge smile on your face.)I love the spicines it brings out in the SLR's.While I love to drink Pinot's with my cigars,it's not a great match,but a pretty decent one that I don't complain too much about.

[Tony Maduro]

Interesting stuff. Like me, I find that many usually prefer a very light white wine with their cigar. The flavours of the cigar are harder to distinguish when competing with the heavier reds, which is sad because I love red wine. I think Mr. Ratcliffe is on to something.

[bassman]

Cigars & wine both tend to dry my mouth, so I don't like that combo. I'd much rather have a good German dark beer with my cigar. Paulaner Salvator is especially good.

[skid11]

I'll say it again ................................. The best cigar with Red wine is a medium rare eye fillet cohiba steak sized panatella rolled in ligero leaf and baisted with game sauce:-|

Cigars and Red Wine go together like ............................. Mel Gibson at a Bar Mitzva:lol:

The only combination that works for me is a fine Muscat ....... The sweetness of the muscat compliments both and brings out added flavours............. Full port is too rich and sickly, Tokay has a slightly bitter after taste with the cigar, As Ken suggeted, I agree that sherry would also be fine with cigars and with so many different types or levels of sweetness in sherry something is bound to work