Honig goes 100% solar

Well, it has been so hot I have not been drinking much wine this month. Yesterday, however, I received a postcard from Honig. The front of the card is very cool, and has a retro feel to it. It features people affiliated with the winery sunbathing. Some are holding what appears to be newspapers, but on closer examination, they are solar panels, or at least represent solar panels. The caption says, "Honig's gone solar!"

The back of the card has the caption, "Solar energy system: $1,000,000; Last month's energy bill: $1.19; Reduced carbon emissions: Priceless; HONIG; Sustainably farmed, (100%) solar powered."

Finally, it identifies the players on the front of the card as, "Back row: Steven Honig, Michael Honig, Natalie Morrison, Alesha Clarke, J.T. Valdez, David Cruz. Front row: Regina Weinstein, Tony Benedetti, Jenny Petschek, Kristin Belair, Elaine Honig."

I know I mentioned it before, but I LOVE HONIG. I also mentioned I felt it has been too hot to drink wine, but contradictorily I mentioned in my previous entry about Honig, that the Sauvingnon Blanc is perfect for a hot summer's day. The postcard, although intended to let me know that drinking Honig helps to sustain the environment, has actually reminded me how good a Sauvingnon Blanc can be on a hot summer's day. Tonight I will drink Honig. Aah, advertising told me what to do, and I am doing it!!

Beyond the wine itself, I definitely think it is making a bold statement to go solar. I also think wineries make a bold statement by using methods of viticulture that avoid chemicals that are harmful to humans, animals and the environment. I am a huge believer that what goes into the ground, goes into the produce, and finally goes into the body. My belief has only been strengthened by the recent revelations of E. coli tainted spinach, Salmonella tainted peanut butter (I had a jar of it, and can no longer stomach peanut butter), and Hepatitas A flavored onions, to name a few.

In France, food, nay, cuisine is of utmost importance. It is a cultural institution not to be toyed with. The importance of biologique (organic) foods is very high. The battle against Frankenfoods has reached colossal proportions. Folkheros such as José Bové have been born (although it doesn't seem to be an important political issue. When Bové ran for president he only received a little more than 1% of the popular vote amongst 11 candidates.) In France it is even normal to go to a supermarket, and obtain such specific information as what ranch a piece of beef came from. (That is not to say France is without its problems with the food supply, but rather, to illustrate the difference in attitudes between France and the U.S.)

In the United States the attitude seems to be different. You can still have a choice, although producers do not have to reveal the source of their produce, nor the methods with which they are produced. The only thing we have to go on, are producers who are claiming they do the right thing, and reveal their practices to their target audience that will purchase their products on that basis. Obviously those that don't use environmentally sound practices will say nothing. You can choose to purchase products from producers who claim to use environmentally sound practices, such as Honig for wine, Silk brand soymilk

This does not mean I will not eat or drink products that are made using unknown practices, but Honig is my favorite Sauvingnon Blanc, and a wine I regularly purchase. Maybe, just maybe it is due to the attitude and care taken in its production.

2004 Honig Sauvignon Blanc

Vintage: 2004
Winery: Honig
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Country: California
Region: Napa Valley.

I LOVE this wine. It is fabulous. It is one of my dependable favorites, especially in summer. I consistently order it by the glass at a local sushi restaurant, because it really goes well with seafood.

Honig has become one of the most successful growers and vintners of Sauvignon Blanc in Napa Valley. Honig recently started treating its grapes organically, and at the time of my visit planned to attempt to harness solar power to run portions of the winery. I was fortunate enough to attend a tasting at Elaine Honig's home which is on the winery and vineyard premises. She opened up a large sliding door in the living room which provided a view of the mountains, vineyards, and mounds of lavender planted everywhere. Prior to my visit I was not aware that Honig produced a Cabernet Sauvingnon. It is not sold in my local wine shops. Although this review covers the Sauvignon Blanc, I will say the Cabernet Sauvingnon was quite good.

This light refreshing wine is reminiscent of summer with tastes of lemon and freshly-cut grass. The finish is very crisp with a minerally aftertaste. Honig states the wine has flavors of grapefruit, mango, papaya, and peach. Honig never mentions flavors I described, so I ask the reader, "what do you taste?" Whatever the taste, I believe this wine is one of the best examples of how Sauvignon Blanc is supposed to taste. It is a mainstay in my collection.

Old Vine Zinfandel

I first became aware of Old Vine Zinfandel when I visited August Briggs in Napa. If you haven't visited August Briggs, do your self a favor and head to Napa. After visiting large wineries all day with employees that charge you a fee and then oblige you to listen to their canned speech, stopping at this small winery was a breath of fresh air. I liked several things about the winery. The winery's symbol is a dandelion blowing in the air, which I found to be both unique and courageous, since although the dandelion may be one of the most expensive salad greens in France, it is considered a weed in the States.

There were no canned speeches at August Briggs. Although I tasted several interesting wines there, the Zinfandel really stood out. I had tasted Zinfandel all week long, and not purchased a single bottle, opting instead for Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Port. This Zinfandel at August Briggs was excellent. It had a spicy punch to it that I had never experienced. I purchased several bottles, and asked for another taste. Seeing how much I liked the Zinfandel, I was offered the chance to do a barrel tasting. How could I say no? I had been in Napa for a week, and had not been made a similar offer.

First we were offered a glass from a barrel which was claimed to be new vines. I did not understand what that meant to the taste, however, upon tasting, the new vine batch was definitely not what I had tasted previously. It was green and one dimensional like the Zinfandels I tasted at other wineries earlier in the week. Second we drank from a barrel which was said to consist of approximately 50-year-old vines. It was spicy, and more reminiscent of what I tasted earlier. Third, we tasted from a barrel which was said to consist of approximately 100-year-old vines. This was amazing, so spicy it burned the mouth. This wine was like nothing I tasted before, and was even better than what I had raved about and purchased. I told our host to bottle some of the third barrel up, and I would buy it.

Our host explained, as the Zinfandel vine ages, it produces fruit that is more complex and spicy. Relatively speaking, there are not a lot of 100-year-old vines around, and their supply is low; instead of selling it, they blend it with the 50-year-old, and the new vine to get the taste I had liked so well. This was one of my top experiences in Napa, with the exception of experiencing a wine tasting with Elaine Honig. It was certainly the biggest winery-born revelation for me since learning about Veuve Cliquot's invention of le remuage.

Armed with my new found knowledge, I set off to determine if my local wine shop had Zinfandel made from Old Vines. There are several Old Vine Zinfandels on the market: Bogle Vineyards, Gnarly Head, Seghesio to name a few. Some are not bad, some do not taste "old", after my experience. That leads me to the question: what does it mean to label a wine "Old Vine Zinfandel?" How old must the vines be? What percentage of the wine must be old as compared to new? I could find nothing that regulates the use of this term, so it is clearly a trust and taste situation.