Tweet
Right so, no idea if this has been covered in any detail in the past, but on Sunday I spent my afternoon at a wine tasting near Oxford and we spent quite a bit of the time discussing various wine pairings. Naturally most of these discussions revolved around pairing wines with foods, but then I got to thinking: what is the perfect wine to go with that after-dinner stogie?
When we think about pairing wines with food, it's as often as subjective as it is scientific. There are some fairly obvious pairings that go quite wonderfully together (think a nice new world Chardonnay or a Sancerre to go with that stuffed mushroom to start). Yet equally, there are certain pairings that we are usually best to avoid - Pinot Noir and smoked salmon is really quite foul I can assure you. Beyond that, a lot of it comes down to individual tastes and what works wonderfully for some doesn't work quite so well for others. Indeed having these kinds of debates is, after all, half the fun! Unsurprisingly, then, this is likely the case with cigars too!
So pray tell, what kinds of wines have you paired with your favourite stogie over the years? Perhaps a nice full-bodied Rioja to compete with the intense, spicy notes of a Bolivar RC? Or a fruity NW Sauvignon to calmly rest above the relatively mellow yet fruity tones of that trusty Epicure No. 2?
Last night I paired this 2006 Shiraz from Mclaren Vale with a Monte 4. Sad to report, the Monte 4 was, to quote the chaps over at Friends of Habanos, 'ho-hum' to the core. The shiraz on the other hand, was bloody excellent! And while it sat well with the Monte, I can imagine it pairing better with something like a Dip 4 (to stay within the realm of Petit Coronas). Pepper fest, anybody?!
When we think about pairing wines with food, it's as often as subjective as it is scientific. There are some fairly obvious pairings that go quite wonderfully together (think a nice new world Chardonnay or a Sancerre to go with that stuffed mushroom to start). Yet equally, there are certain pairings that we are usually best to avoid - Pinot Noir and smoked salmon is really quite foul I can assure you. Beyond that, a lot of it comes down to individual tastes and what works wonderfully for some doesn't work quite so well for others. Indeed having these kinds of debates is, after all, half the fun! Unsurprisingly, then, this is likely the case with cigars too!
So pray tell, what kinds of wines have you paired with your favourite stogie over the years? Perhaps a nice full-bodied Rioja to compete with the intense, spicy notes of a Bolivar RC? Or a fruity NW Sauvignon to calmly rest above the relatively mellow yet fruity tones of that trusty Epicure No. 2?
Last night I paired this 2006 Shiraz from Mclaren Vale with a Monte 4. Sad to report, the Monte 4 was, to quote the chaps over at Friends of Habanos, 'ho-hum' to the core. The shiraz on the other hand, was bloody excellent! And while it sat well with the Monte, I can imagine it pairing better with something like a Dip 4 (to stay within the realm of Petit Coronas). Pepper fest, anybody?!
Comment