As you  may have seen Monday, I had a few less-than-kind words in response to a Reuters story on the Long Island Wine Region.

Well…the author, who usually works as a reporter for the New York Post, stumbled upon my little rant…and wrote to me.

In the idea of fairness, I’ve decided to post his response.

Lenn,

I appreciate your comments and concerns about the story I wrote for Reuters. But you must understand this story was written for a global audience. I agree with you in that I too would like to see more interesting pieces written about Long Island wine
country.

For a native of Suffolk County, this story was as boring to write as it is to read. It is the
same old stuff, as you said. But this is not Newsday. This feature ran in Reuters, and people elsewhere enjoyed it. Folks across the pond do not know Manhattan chef David Page. They do know the Lord of the Rings. However superficial that might be, it helps put the story in perspective for someone not familiar with the situation on Long Island, or even the country.

Also, referring to your comment about what I wrote of Michael Lynne: When considering three decades of modern winemaking on Long Island, four years IS
recent. That was my call.

Next, you mentioned that most U.S. wine regions compare themselves to Napa. That may be true, but not all wine regions are situated next to the most densely populated city in the country. This means, if only from a business or tourism standpoint, the Napa comparison is substantiated. Washington State will never attract 3
million people a year, despite the quality of its wine. Long Island just might get that big. But lets hope not. There is enough traffic here already. Thanks
for reading.

Sincerely,

Michael White

He’s absolutely right in terms of the audience, and I admitted as much in my email back to him, though I still think this story is more of the same. I’m disappointed in myself, however, that I ranted without stepping back and thinking about the cardinal rule of writing — know your reader.

I still disagree with Lynne’s purchase being recent, mainly because since the purchase, dozens of things have changed out there. We’ll agree to disagree on that point…

On Napa…I still think it’s overdone and overused (the comparison)…but hey, he sold a piece to Reuters and I haven’t (yet).

All in all, Mike and I have written back and forth a couple times now…and it seems that we’re more on the same page than I expected.

Lesson learned? Remember that even though you might think your blog is only read by friends and family…it IS out there for all to see…easily Googled.