Wine Selection: Honig’s Sauvignon Blanc

Yes, that’s right!  The Napa Valley’s Honig was the winner of the first Battle of the Valleys!  It was a close competition.  The ending score was 57% Honig vs 43% Kunde.  Can’t get much closer than that!

Both being very different styles: the Kunde is much bigger, rounder, more tropical and the Honig being much more crisp, citrus, dry.  All in all, both are FANTASTIC and perfect for Spring/Summer!

If you didn’t participate in the tasting, go out and get a bottle that’s the style that you prefer and just relax and enjoy.  Stay tuned for the the next Battle of the Valleys!

Round 1: NAPA VALLEY’S HONIG is the WINNER!!!!!!

Thank you to all that participated!

Erica

The Moody Wine Drinker

]]> http://www.moodywine.com/2009/04/13/weve-got-a-winner/feed/ http://www.moodywine.com/2009/04/08/first-battle-of-the-valleys-kunde-vs-honig-sauvignon-blanc/ http://www.moodywine.com/2009/04/08/first-battle-of-the-valleys-kunde-vs-honig-sauvignon-blanc/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:00:22 +0000 The Moody Wine Drinker http://www.moodywine.com/?p=142 Mood: Aggressive

Wine Selection:  Kunde vs Honig Sauvignon Blanc

• Twitter to “@moodywine…your notes…#ttl”

• Don’t have Twitter?  Email me at info@moodywine.com

• Don’t want to email me?  Leave your comment here on this post

I will compile your results and post the winning Valley and winery!

Cheers!

Erica

The Moody Wine Drinker

]]> http://www.moodywine.com/2009/04/08/first-battle-of-the-valleys-kunde-vs-honig-sauvignon-blanc/feed/ http://www.moodywine.com/2009/04/03/the-first-ever-battle-of-the-valleys/ http://www.moodywine.com/2009/04/03/the-first-ever-battle-of-the-valleys/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:22:23 +0000 The Moody Wine Drinker http://www.moodywine.com/?p=138 Mood: Competitive

Wine Selection: Honig vs Kunde Sauvignon Blanc

Hi all!  I’m hosting my first Twitter Taste Live event called “The Battle of the Valleys.”  Go out, buy a bottle of the Honig Sauvignon Blanc, produced in the Napa Valley, and a bottle of Kunde Sauvignon Blanc, produced in the Sonoma Valley.  Wednesday, April 8th, go onto your Twitter account and tell me what you think and who you choose as the winner.  The format of your 140 character post should be as follows:

@moodywine…your review here…#ttl

For those of you that don’t have a Twitter account, feel free to email me your reactions to this tasting at info@moodywine.com.

This will be the first of my Battle of the Valleys Series, in which I pick two wine making regions and they battle it out live on Twitter or via email.  I will compile the results and blog the winner.  This is putting the power into the consumers hands….stay tuned!

When: April 8th, Wednesday

Where: Twitter or email

What: Honig vs Kunde Sauvignon Blanc Taste Off

How: Bev Mo and Whole Foods have both wines

Winery Direct: www.kunde.com or www.honigwine.com

Cheers!

The Moody Wine Drinker

Mood: Springy

Wine Selection: 2003 Ilona Howell Mountain

The birds are chirping, the sun is out and I’m ready to clean, clean, clean! The thought of cleaning make you cringe? It won’t after you hear my new motto…never clean without a glass of wine! Do you like it?! I thought you would.

The wine of choice for me right now is the 2003 Ilona. This proprietary blend is mainly Cabernet and Merlot with some blender varietals in there somewhere. There is so much that I love about this wine it’s hard to think where to start. First with the actual taste…when I saw Howell Mountain on the label, I thought it was going to be the “manhattan” style wine with +15% alcohol and jammy, jammy, jammy. This is NOT that wine! It’s much more refined. It has nice fruit up front, including plum, blackberry, and cherry, however, when the wine moves from the tip of your tongue to fill your mouth, you get a nice, velvet and clean spicy finish. It’s not obscenely hot or tannic. It’s elegant! How many of you have had an elegant Bordeaux style blend from Howell Mountain? Well, this wine is perfect for many occasions: cleaning, bbq’n, un”wine”ding after a long week, etc.

There is one catch…there always is, right? This wine isn’t going to be released until April 2009! I do believe that Catherine Eddy, owner, will let you buy some if you call or email her, but you won’t be able to pick it up from you local store. Sorry Charlie! Have patience or make it happen! Sign up for her mailing list at www.ilonawine.com/join.html and get more information on release info and specials.

Wine Selection: Louis M. Martini Lot 1

I’m not going to give anymore excuses as to why I haven’t written a post for so long, but the good news is I think this is going to be a good one.  For years people have been saying they don’t like wine writers, wine ratings, Robert Parker scores, etc.  Yet, those same people are buying the wines that those same writers recommend.  I understand that it’s a bit of a catch 22 because there are just so many wines out there!  How are you supposed to make an educated decision, if you aren’t given the opportunity to try the wine for yourself?  Here I will explain my problem with ratings, the politics behind them, and how to make an educated decision based on…here’s the shocker…YOUR VERY OWN PALATE!

First: The Problem

There are a handful of scores that are considered “legitimate.”  Among them are Robert Parker of Wine Advocate, James Laube of  Wine Spectator, Steve Heimoff of Wine Enthusiast, Wine and Spirits Magazine, and Patterson’s Tasting Pannel.  These people and publications dictate what is good and what is bad in the wine industry.  A great score (92 and higher) from Robert Parker or Wine Spectator will sell out that entire vintage of wine and is enough to put a winery on the map.  However, these people taste so much wine everyday and there is now way that my palate is the same as there’s.  As a matter of fact, their palates have changed tremendously through their careers!  Why are we drinking what 4 people like?!  It’s ridiculous!  If they like dark chocolate, are you going to start liking dark chocolate?  No, that’s sounds crazy!  So why do we do it in wine?

Second: The Politics

Wineries have become so dependent on what these critics say that wineries are actually making wines for Robert Parker.  They make 100-300 cases of wine that is directed towards their palate.  Then Parker tries it, gives it a 96, and BAM!  They are in business!  Lot 1 from Louis Martini is on this list of wineries and the staff in the tasting room will tell you straight.  Interestingly enough, Louis M. Martini’s wine is good, but only the Lot 1 has the classic Parker structure…

…blackcurrant, blackberry and dark chocolate with undertones of tobacco and coffee. In the mouth, its firm backbone supports an elegant mid-palate with flavors of toasted nuts and sweet vanilla from the oak that are perfectly blended, adding complexity and finesse to an extremely well balanced wine. (Louis M. Martini website)

Not to mention that it also has 15% alcohol, give or take…probably give.  Are you getting this?  Wineries are structuring these specific wines to what critics want, then they are making the rest of the line-up the way they want.  Why are we falling for this?  There is so much technology that has allowed an abundance of information at our fingertips.  Lets take the power back and buy the wine that WE like.

Third: The Solution

Like I mentioned earlier, I really feel that the problem comes from the crazy amount of wine on the market.  I totally understand.  I mean, wine is my business and I still go into the store and find wines that I have never seen or heard of.  How do you make a decision?  First, I recommend finding a wine that you actually like.  Then look it up online and see who has written about it favorably.  That means those people have similar taste to you.  Then see what else they are drinking and also liking.  Go to the store and try some of their favorites and see if you like them too!

Lastly, bite the bullet, live on the edge!  I try to buy at least one bottle of wine a week that I’ve never heard of, as long as it’s within a certain price point.  Come on!  Stop taking wine so seriously!  Then, if you want, you can review it online and participate in the many online wine communities out there!

Well, like Porky the Pig says, “Th th th th th th th that’s All Folks!”  Until next time…which will be sooner rather than later.

The Moody Wine Drinker