Yes, yes, I know, of course, that wine, like everything in this world, is affected by politics. However, it is beyond boorish to suggest that a social delinquency and moral inferiority afflicts those, like me, who consciously choose not to attend to the myriad of political issues that might arise in the production, transportation, sale, consumption, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseam. Indeed, there is nothing in this world that is not–metaphorically speaking–loaded with political issues.

But being puny humans, each of us can effectively attend only to a few such issues. We all have to choose–and I choose not to have my wine served with politics. If you choose otherwise, then I say, good for you, but also that I’m sorry for you because I can’t imagine why anyone, especially anyone who actually enjoys wine, would choose to burden such a pleasure with the cares of politics unless his profession or his circumstances required him to do so.

Cannot these moralist (uniformly of the left, it seems) allow a moment’s rest from their persistent insistence that we all display an active political purity in all things at all times?

Must they disallow every careless harmless joy? Even those found in a glass of wine?

Is it not enough that I respect the grape-grower’s labor and the vintner’s craft enough to concentrate my attention on the qualities of the wine they have worked so hard to produce? Do they really want us to distract ourselves from the quality of their wines to attend to their social, political, moral, and environmental matters? And will they return the favor to bother themselves about those issues in my little life? With honest money, earned of honest labor, I pay the price they charge for their wine. Is that not enough? If not, then they should raise their price.

Can I not drink my wine without being lectured about my duties, as some modern day moralizers perceive them to be, with respect to all sorts of fashionable political, social, and (heaven save us all especially from this last one) environmental dogmas.

Yes, as to that last one, the religious oppressors of the dark ages might soon be surpassed by their modern counterparts, according to whom inattention is sin and disagreement is heresy!

No, really, I won’t have my wine served with politics.

We do not live in a Parliamentary system where we only vote for a local candidate. We expect our votes for national and statewide office to have meaning at those levels.

My vote for City Council is a different thing entirely. With that, I am worried about the library, the police, the parks, the redevelopment of the old Navy base. These are separate issues.

The reason why I think Steve was right to call out criticism of the Wine Train was that the project got somehow criticized because it was viewed INCORRECTLY as a project that helped the wine train and thus was a boon doggle. It was the conflation of wine and boondoggle that, I presume, set Steve off. It certainly was what pissed me off so greatly.

In the first place, it is a project about flooding. In the second place, McCain used wine, my livelihood, to make a political statement. I will no more countenance that disgraceful misrepresentation than I will the stupid arguments of folks like the Marin Institute.

Tom, politics found wine. Wine did not go looking for this fight. But neither wine nor the good people of Napa City deserve to be so gratuitously and incorrectly pilloried by a politician looking for a cheap laugh line. Rather than ignoring this situation, Tom, you should be outraged. McCain has used your industry for cheap political laughs.

He gets no pass from me.

I have close to a hundred white friends and acquaintances (and a few “People of Color”) who live in the west side East Bay from Albany to Berkeley to Oakland/Piedmont. Not one of them, as near as I can fathom, are grappling with the social issues facing their communities. Instead they rant on about Global Warming, the Public Option and Joe Lieberman, the wars in the Middle East, the Repubs in Sacramento who won’t let the majority tax the minority, and on and on.

As you read, I’m a strong believer in thinking globally but acting locally. Instead of railing against the night, people should be tending to their neighborhoods. If the main community issue is flooding or agricultural preservation or downtown rejuvenation, then deal with these topics. But this is simply a restatement of my words above, not an explanation, which I thought were clear.

With people like Merle jumping on his hobby horse, I’m sure Steve won’t introduce such topics in the future. Give me an opening and I’ll take it. So best to follow Bathus’ admonition.

Just because you choose to ignore the political issues connected to a product you consume does not mean they do not exist.

Many political issues are directly tied to the wine industry and rulings and actions on such issues directly affect the industry and the people it supports. Simply being ignorant to the political issues does not make you impervious to it’s many consequences.

This issue has a strong tie to the wine industry as this is yet another situation of a group trying to demonize the wine industry through the perspective of a bunch of wealthy tourists throwing money around. The majority of Napa is a hard working community of blue collar workers including many that work for the wine train. This project will benefit thousands of people in our community and due to the increased protection for downtown allow for further development and industry growth.

So I am sorry but no. you cannot have your wine without the politics.

Of course, whether or not your opinion, about wine or politics, is deserving of respect, I do respect your right to express that opinion. At the same time, whether or not you respect my opinion about this, perhaps you or you employers do care about the many dollars I have spent (and may in the future choose not to spend) on Wine Enthusiast products.

Take note: I will not have my wine served with politics.