A great cigar goes well with a beautiful bottle of champagne. Consider this: they are both premium products. At a posh city event, you’d expect the waiter to serve the finest champagne, followed by a nightcap with the finest cigars. They are more compatible than you may imagine. You may feel opulent while still staying within your budget when it comes to the right combo of champagne and cigars. There are various benefits to matching this delectable drink with a cigar, all of which are related to champagne’s most distinguishing feature: bubbles. The bubbles function as a palate cleanser, essentially resetting your palate’ and intensifying the flavors of your cigar — champagne is also typically distinguished by nutty and woodsy aromas that are a fantastic companion to a smoke.
Floral and fruity sparkling wines will not function as well and may even hinder you from savoring your cigar as you are accustomed to, so stick to the typical champagne or sparkling wine. Furthermore, the lower alcohol concentration of champagne, compared to other drinks such as liquor, allows for a more refined capacity to detect subtle scents and flavors in the cigar. Some cigar enthusiasts may choose to forgo strong spirits, but they may still enjoy the pleasures of a small amount of alcohol. Champagne and cigars might be an excellent combination option for them. The cleaning action of the bubbles increases the flavor of the cigar, and the lower alcoholic content in comparison to hard spirits might provide a better level of olfactory perception and elegance. While a white wine may compete with the savory part, a bubbly may have a refreshing impact on the taste.
12 Best Cigar and Champagne Pairings
#1 Davidoff Aniversario & Veuve Clicqout Rosé, NV
Notes of almonds and buttered toast characterize the mild, pleasant Dominican tastes behind the prestigious Davidoff Aniversario. A Connecticut wrapper leaf from Ecuador cuddles a delectable blend of Dominican binder and filler tobaccos that give plenty of creamy flavors that are easily accessible.
Veuve Clicquot Rosé’s legendary heritage brilliantly mixes many harvests in a consistent house style that showcases fresh strawberry flavors with a wild and voracious structure. A coppery-orange color brings in energetic yet restrained scents that readily blend with Davidoff’s well-known grass, wheat, and wood character. After a delightful lunch of fish or duck, serve these superb companions.
#2 Montecristo White Churchill and Pol Roger Champagne
The Montecristo White Churchill is a medium-bodied smooth and nuanced smoke with vanilla aromas and a creamy, nutty finish. The intricacy and depth of the cigar make it a natural match for the exceptional Pol Roger Champagne. This champagne has a relaxing attitude that complements the Montecristo. The champagne’s notes of baked yeast bread, white peach, and flowery scent combine with the cigar’s vanilla and nuttiness.
#3 Undercrown Shade Gran Toro and Piper Heidsieck Champagne Brut '98
Piper Heidsieck Champagne Brut ’98 gets a Wine Spectator rating of 92 and is an excellent champagne option with tobacco and leather overtones. Undercrown Shade Gran Toro is a well-balanced, moderate to medium-bodied blend with flavors of spice, nuts, and cream on the finish, which is somewhat sweet. In this combo, the masculine tastes balance each other out.
#4 Le Flaneur Corona Gorda and Salon Cuvee S 2002, Brut
We should venture to instigate this ‘duel in the sun’ between a cigar with earthy notes, sweet spices, salted butter caramel, and a glass of noble champagne with beautiful buttery notes and balsamic notes. S de Salon pays homage to Chardonnay, the uncontested king of the Côte des Blancs area, with limitless aging potential.
#5 1502 Emerald & Champagne Collet Brut Art Deco
Renowned Champagne enthusiasts have praised Champagne Collet Brut Art Deco. It begins with a subtle richness and a crisp, clean finish with mixed fruit aromas throughout. This outstanding bouget received a 91 rating from Wine Spectator and is an excellent match with certain Mediterranean and Japanese meals. For this combo, I chose the 1502 Emerald. The Emerald is exceptionally mild for a sophisticated mix of Nicaraguan tobaccos. Its tastes are noticeable yet subtle, and it maintains a good balance throughout.
#6 Davidoff Grand Cru Series & Bollinger Brut Special Cuvee
Bollinger Brut Special Cuvee is another highly regarded bottle. With a rating average in the upper 90s, it’s no surprise that this is the brand that comes to mind when you think of excellent champagne. It has beautiful fruity flavors like apples and pears throughout and mild spiciness. What else would you match with the most opulent champagnes but the richest cigars? The Grand Cru was only the second non-Cuban Davidoff to be released, but it was already a masterpiece. It’s creamy and smooth, with lovely nut overtones, a fruity sweetness, and a hint of spice. Even though I was wearing sweatpants, this is one of the more delicate combos I’ve ever done.
#7 El Rey del Mundo & Piper-Heidesieck Brut Cuvee
We had no idea what full-bodied champagne tasted like until I had this Piper-Heidsieck. It’s solid and full of rich fruit tastes like plums and pears, with a hint of ginger spiciness. El Rey del Mundo, the king of Honduran cigars, was an excellent option. The cigar’s deep, leather notes merge seamlessly with the champagne’s fruity undertones for a rich, pleasurable experience.
#8 H. Upmann Ingot Rose & Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage Rose 2008
The original Grand Vintage Rose was acclaimed for its beautiful floral and fruit overtones when it was launched in 2006. The 2008 version expands on this by introducing a much hotter overall vibe. This combination creates a glass of highly complex champagne that is a favorite among serious champagne enthusiasts. The H. Upmann Ingot Rose fits nicely, with a Dominican Habano wrapper imparting a delightful spiciness to a profile already rich with honey, leather, and nuts.
#9 MBombay Kesara & Perrier-Jouet Grand Brutt Here
Another high-90s-rated treasure, Perrier-Grand Jouet’s Brut, is the pinnacle of intricacy. As it ends, each sip brings effervescent, vibrant flavors of apples and yellow fruit, as well as a faint trace of vanilla, almonds, and spice. Because of the sophisticated blend of tobaccos employed, the medium-bodied MBombay Kesara has a complex character. Its Ecuadorian wrapper imparts a great spiciness, while its Dominican filler adds creamy nut overtones. The inclusion of Peruvian tobacco in the mix gives a splash of sweetness that truly rounds out the profile.
#10 Fuente Fuente Opus X & Dom Perignon Vintage 2006
A Dom Perignon profile has been meticulously ripening for over ten years and is characterized by vibrant citrus and stone fruits. The age of the champagne is masterfully concealed by its smooth, refreshing edges and a straight crispness that cuts through the exquisite spice that has made Opus X a sought-after cigar. Although each has its distinct flavor, Opus X has an intensity that might easily dominate a less sophisticated glass of bubbly if it weren’t for the cigar’s subtle nuance of dried fruit and figs that thread the saline finish of cream and minerals that the superbly calibrated Dom Perignon has. This opulent pair doesn’t need to have the collar buttoned up to indicate they’re equal to the task of pleasing discerning tastes.
#11 Ashton Estate Sun Grown & Krug Grande Cuvee, NV
From the minute the cork is removed from Krug Grande Cuvee, vivacious bubbles endow a rich, golden color with movement and jubilation. This champagne’s excellent flavor profile of hazelnut, honey, almonds, and nougat is a perfect match for the heavily fermented Ashton ESG (Estate Sun Grown). Carlito Fuente, the world’s most recognized cigar maker, meticulously blends the best, longest-tenured tobaccos sourced from select Fuente family farms in the Dominican Republic.
A caramel-hued wrapper leaf is graced with natural Dominican sunshine over a superbly creamy core of Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. Ashton ESG has medium to full-bodied graham cracker flavors with a velvety texture and a hint of black pepper on the finish. Krug Grand Cuvee and Ashton ESG blend beautifully with naturally creamy nuances that are accessible, rich, lively, and precise nuances. Whether you’re dancing in a palatial club or lounging on the deck of a yacht, it’ll be a sensory overload.
#12 Padron 80 Years & Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque 2008
Some of the oldest tobaccos in the Padron facility are fashioned into the 80 Years, an aesthetically flawless, full-bodied Figurado. A Nicaraguan core of excellent, aged long-filler tobaccos is wrapped in a gleaming Nicaraguan wrapper leaf with a smooth and slightly elevated texture. Padron’s signature flavors of cinnamon, chocolate, almonds, and cayenne pepper give an ultra-refined taste.
Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque 2008 is a beautiful fit after nearly a decade of gentle repose. The smooth structure of the champagne is elegant, crisp, and sophisticated. A grape crop marred by a tough, chilly spring and excessive summer rains rebounded with resounding balance in the September warmth of 2008. Alluring smells of white-flower, hawthorn, and plum blossom contrast with the delightful intensity of spices and wood shown by Padron 80 Years.
