My October series about Virginia and Maryland wines received praise
from several readers, but also some complaints. One reader accused me of
“pandering” to local winemakers and urged me to stick to writing about
French wines, which he said provide better value at about 30% less in
price. “Why buy inferior wines because they are local?” this reader
asked.
Of course, I never suggested anyone should buy an inferior wine
simply because it is local. I merely said we should no longer assume a
wine is inferior simply because it is local.
And while I don’t agree that local wines are as overpriced as some
people say, I recognize that such a perception is out there. And in
today’s Washington Post
Food section, I explain why I believe the best local wines are worth
exploring, whatever the price. And of course, some Recession Buster
recommendations.
Well said Dave.
I am not a big fan of local wines – I don’t see any value for what we
must pay to drink them. I applaud your effort to give them exposure –
and also applaud the local wine makers for their passion to make them.
It will be a uphill climb for most East Coast winemakers – but progress
is being made.
Cheers! Gerry Dunn
Thanks for the kind words, Gerry. Please read my column in todays Post,
in which I discuss the value issue more fully. Your attitude is quite
common, and it is one of the largest marketing obstacles local vintners
face as they try to change the perception that local necessarily means
lower quality/value. I hope you will continue to try some local wines
with an open mind, perhaps even blind in a group of similarly priced
counterparts from California and France. While much of the quality
indeed remains uneven, the better wineries – and there are more and more
of these – are producing wines that can stand proud among wines from
anywhere else.
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