Stop "Pandering," Dave!

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.

Comments

[Gerard Dunn]

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

[Dave McIntyre]

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.