Champagne – Cigare : A little of what you fancy does you good !

Common Ground

Few countries can claim such a close affinity with their national products as Cuba with Havana cigars and France with champagne. It is not by chance that a parallel can be drawn between these two countries and their products.

One easily calls to mind the example of the French Republic following the storming of the Bastille in 1789, the face of Che Guevara, symbol of a revolution, and not least, the resistance displayed by a little village in Gaul, homeland of the legendary Asterix, in the face of the Roman legions, easily comparable to the exploits of those renowned Cubans who defied the whole of America.

Common Cultures

A genius is born to suffer hardship, as the saying goes. In Aÿ and the village of San Luis (birthplace of Robaina,the only Cuban tobacco grower with a cigar bearing his name) Mother Nature is a genius. The unusual borderline climatic conditions, the difficult atypical soil, the doggedness and remarkable creativity of the men and women: these are criteria which determine the making of a great Havana cigar and a prestigious champagne.

The Champagne winefield is situated at the northernmost climatic limit for grapegrowing.These extreme weather conditions often cause the vinestock to split during the harsh winters. If necessary, the buds must be protected. Whereas a successful grape harvest often depends on a providential Indian summer. In Cuba,the tropical heat is alleviated by “tapados”, a lightweight textile used to protect the “corojo” ( a high-class grade of tobacco). Between January and March, the fresh winds from the American continent attenuate the heat prior to the harvest, together with light, steady rainfalls common to both regions. Both soil and climate are prime factors contributing to the success of the Cuban Végas Finas and the “Grand Cru” champagnes, the Végas Secondaire and the “Premier Cru” plus many other Végas and Crus. Mankind has an inherent tendency to classify achievements!

Common Vocations

The same motivating force and expertise are required to tame these unique and unpredictable regions, the essential qualities including resourcefulness, creativity and the will to work.

Champagne and Havana share the same secret in overcoming the vagaries of the weather: the blending process. Two first-rate cultivars producing 4 or 5 differrent quality leaves or grapes, graded into various “crus” and vintages – an artist’s palette full of promise.

The drying of the leaves and the pressing of the grapes determine the criteria for the year. Oak or cedar barrels plus two fermentations are the prerequisites enabling the distinctive characteristics of each variety to develop and enhance the blend. It is a common belief that the blending of several years is a mere technicality. In fact, the process is one of applied mathematics : 1 and 1 do not necessarily add up to 2, but often 3,4, or even 5 in exceptionally fine years, symbolizing the supreme mastery of blending techniques and the wide spectrum of plurality.

Through patient observation of life and the hard lessons learnt in the course of their work, our countrymen have gained invaluable practical knowledge which has been tranformed into a magic formula which is the source of the superbly aromatic blends to be found both in Champagne and Havana. In short, a formula combining expertise, patience and painstaking effort, culminating in perfection.