Wine (Again)

On a recent flight back to Rochester, I partook in a spontaneous conversation on the merits of the Flower City.  The general consensus was that life here, aided by a dose of optimism, can be fantastic.  The gentleman next to me succinctly pointed out that Rochesterians must sacrifice only two things, namely bragging rights and direct flights.  While the direct flights commentary is difficult to contest, the bragging rights issue is more debatable.  What city can boast a major downtown hotel having to close its kitchen due to a mouse infestation?

All joking aside, here is yet another example of how our disrespected town can keep some pretty solid company.  Infogroup recently sought to identify America's best metro areas for wine drinkers (among metropolitan statistical areas with over one million residents.)  The methodology was quite simple - the most wine retailers and wineries per 10,000 residents.  The top 10 were:

1. Portland, OR
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Sacramento, CA
5. Rochester, NY
6. San Jose, CA
7. New York ,NY
8. Washington, DC
9. Hartford, CT
10. Cincinnati, OH