Stogies: Have your Cigar and Drink Wine, Too

LODI – Popular wine tastings are frequently offered with pairings, usually something incredibly fabulous to eat whipped up in a 5-star kitchen by some celebrity chef. If you travel to the close-knit wine country town of Lodi, however, you will find pairings of a more smoky nature. No, we are not talking zinfandel and barbeque.

Stogies Cigar Lounge offers what’s rapidly becoming a very popular event -- monthly wine and cigar pairings. “Cigars can be as complex, if not more so, than wines,” says owner Russell Daniels. “It’s a like a wine palate issue: it’s a taste, it’s a relaxation – not a habit like cigarettes, it’s also a camaraderie with friends trading tasting information.”

Daniels says the monthly events pair three red wines and three white wines with specific cigars whose flavors enhance and agree with the wine’s characteristics. Both a winery representative and a cigar representative are on hand to discuss plantings and production techniques, as well as flavor profiles. “People are interested in finding a good palate match,” Daniels explains and these tastings help people explore several combinations.

One of the most popular wines to pair with the cigars has been Michael David Vineyards 7 Deadly Zins, which Daniels says flys out the door. Other local favorites are the wines of Vino Con Brio and Jewel. In addition to wine and cigars, the Lounge has on hand pipe tobaccos and beers. The comfortable lounge has leather seats (a requirement?) and a pool table for other recreational fun.

In highly restrictive California, this is one of the few places that you will find where smoking indoors is legal; this fact alone almost makes the location a tourist stop. Smokers in general are relegated to outdoor areas away from all inhabited public buildings, and can usually only be found huddled together in small groups -- especially during times of inclement weather.

If you are interested in attending the monthly events, you can call Stogies or check their website: http://www.stogiesoflodi.com. The “Cheers” friendly lounge is a great place to drop by, as well as Russ’s Puff & Stuff Tobacco Shop located at 230 W. Pine Street, Lodi, CA. (209) 334-5764.

For more information on events happening in Lodi, check out our event listings on WineCountry.com.