I am a proponent of the eat and drink local philosophy. Anyone who tries to follow that ideal has to first determine for his or her self what “local” means. Whether it’s 30 miles, a hundred miles or perhaps within your state, there is no definition of “local.” Individuals need to make the decision of what “local” means to them. While drinking local wines is a great concept and benefits communities in many ways, does this mean ruling out wines that are outside of your local area? Of course not!

For me drinking local means discovering the terroir of the wines where I am. It certainly doesn’t stop me from ordering a wine from a renowned wine region area, especially if I’m looking for a certain grape variety or taste. However, I love discovering what affect the soil, climate and elevation have on grapes in the vineyards. It makes the world of wine exciting.

While visiting in Lake County, California, which is north of Napa, I was surprised to hear someone say that they want people to discover local wine within 30 miles. Have you heard of Lake County or Suisun Valley both areas in California? Yes there are wineries outside of Napa and there are also little known wineries and well known wineries in Napa that deserve a chance to showcase their terroir in their wines.

Discover new wines! Wine is exciting!

Cheers! Kathy