Napa wines needn’t be the benchmark. Let’s appreciate what other regions do well, too.

For white wine, Virginia excels in petit manseng, a grape that produces fruity wines of excessive acidity in a spread from dry to candy. You don’t discover these wines anyplace else — even in its native southwestern France, petit manseng is a minor participant in blends. In Virginia, it excels. My favorites are Michael Shaps, Horton Vineyards and Early Mountain Vineyards, and there are various extra. The vermentino from Barboursville Vineyards is healthier than many I’ve tasted from Italy, however the grape hasn’t actually caught on in Virginia. Sauvignon blanc and albariño have, they usually do properly right here.