Being from Michigan, the natural choice for North was to go with a local wine, so I rummaged around and found a bottle from St. Julian. St. Julian is Michigan’s oldest winery, and is also the largest. They source grapes from a large number of growers, all of which are located within 50 miles of the winery.

For South, I turned to the sunny climes of California. Honig is located in Napa Valley (Rutherford, to be precise) and has a terrible Flash-infested front page that refuses to work on my computer.



Charts comparing climates (as always, click for a larger version)

In short: Michigan doesn’t get quite as warm or stay warm for as long, while California is a lot drier during the growing season.

Honig Sauvignon Blanc 2007: Brix at harvest 23.6, 97.6% Sauvignon Blanc and 2.4% Semillon. Aging was 33% neutral oak, 67% stainless steel. 13.5% ABV.

Braganini Reserve 2007 Sauvignon Blanc: Brix at harvest 20.8, 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Aging was 100% stainless steel. 12% ABV.

Blind(ish) tasting time! Wine A is much darker than Wine B, so I’m actually fairly certain which is which right off the bat.

Nose: A is musky and citrusy, while B is lighter, sweeter, and very tropical.

Taste: A is still quite citrusy, but some mango and peach show up, with an overall impression of stodginess. B fruitier but lighter and still leaning toward the tropical with maybe a hint of lime, but also some slight alcohol notes. Both exhibit similar amounts of acidity.

Overall: Both are nice crisp wines, with A being a bit more robust for standing up to food but B edging ahead for sipping by having a cleaner flavour profile and more liveliness.

And the reveal: As I suspected, A is North and B is South.

Appearance: Golden yellow colour.

Nose: Lime, mango, and pineapple.

Taste: Refreshing acidity, some residual sugar, mainly fruity with some floral notes.

Overall: Inexpensive and inoffensive.

Appearance: Light straw with a green tinge.

Nose: Melon, pear, and peach.

Taste: Some citrus, some grassy herbal notes and a chalky backbone of minerality. Good acidity to balance the fruit.

Overall: Decent.