Cigar and Wine Pairing Basics

Wine and cigars can be a wonderful match provided the wine leaves enough room for the cigar to speak.

Most pairing mistakes come down to the same issues: too much tannin, too much sweetness, or too much sharp acid. Any of these can flatten a cigar or make it taste harsher than it should. A good pairing should feel like a conversation, not a competition.

Tannins 

Both cigars and wine contain tannins — cigars from the tobacco leaf and wrapper, wine primarily from the grape skins and oak barrels. When the combined tannin level gets too high, you end up with excessive dryness and astringency. The cigar can feel sharper and more bitter than it really is. The key is balance: enough structure to be interesting, but not so much that it dries out the palate.

I’ve done tastings on a high tannin Cabernet Sauvignon with a Maduro cigar and was reaching for a sip of water after every two or three puffs.

Lingering Finishes

A long, lingering finish is often considered a virtue in wine. In a cigar pairing, that extended aftertaste can linger on the palate and push aside the cigar’s evolving flavors.

Central Coast California Reds

For cigar pairings with domestic Reds, we often find better balance in Central Coast wines (Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Monterey). These wines tend to show riper fruit with softer, rounder tannins and less aggressive oak than many colder-climate bottlings. The result supports the cigar instead of competing with it.

Look for Malbecs, Merlots and Pinot Noir’s with low tannins and soft, smooth finish.

Whites

Most cigar smokers avoid whites because they carry bright malic acid, the same sharp acid found in green apples. That crisp, tart edge clashes with the smoke.

The exception is when a white wine goes through malolactic fermentation and much of that malic acid is converted into softer lactic (as in dairy) acid. The result is creamier texture, rounder feel, and less sharpness.  That can pair very well with milder, creamier cigars, though still not a fit for fuller strength smokes.

Look for Viognier, “Butter” Chardonnay or other Chardonnay styles with clear malolactic character.  A great summertime pairing is a champagne Connecticut cigar with a soft Viognier.

one good cigar, one good wine, one good hour