My Favorite Cigar
Fred Schrader • Winemaker
Trinidad La Trova
Fred Schrader has more than made his mark on the world of wine, first as cofounder of Colgin-Schrader Cellars (now Colgin) and then with Schrader Cellars, which he founded in 1998 and sold in 2017. His wines have sold for dear prices and received rave reviews, none higher than his 2007 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard MM-VII, which earned a perfect 100-point score from Wine Spectator.
With a big personality to match the big wines he created, Schrader lives life to the fullest, racing cars, collecting old automobiles and catching marlin in the Caribbean. He also has an exceptional fondness for cigars. He smoked his first cigar 53 years ago, at the Playboy Club in New York City, and even created his own cigar brand, called Schrader Hispañiola, made in the Dominican Republic. But his favorite smoke is a Cuban, the Trinidad La Trova, found only at Casa del Habano shops.
“It’s perfection,” he raves, “full flavored, smokes perfectly from start to finish—never harsh and a size that’s built to last.” He enjoys the social element of cigar smoking, and puffs frequently. How frequently? “Every Goddamn day,” he says.
