Toward the end of his life, in 1924, the Austrian philosopher and educator Rudolf Steiner gave his famous Agriculture Course lectures. These he had written in response to a group of farmers concerned for the increasingly mechanized and agrochemical methods which were already changing the face of agriculture. Even this early, it was obvious to some people that, though industrialization in farming might maximize yields and bring big profits, it was inevitably detrimental both to taste and health, and not at all practical in the long run.

The premise of this column came to me after a customer referred to a fellow wine salesman as “psychic.” When she arrived in the store, the employee greeted the customer, kindly offered the normal services and turned to walk away. As the salesman walked away, he muttered out one simple phrase, “Think Spain.”

Three months now since I moved to Napa Valley. Where does the time go! An alarming amount of it seems to have been spent spraying Wine Away on red wine spilled on my white carpet and then blotting it up with paper towels. Any landlord who rents an apartment with white carpeting to a wine professional is placing their property in grave danger.

Last month, I wrote about the white wines of Friuli because as summer approaches, many of us are on the lookout for tasty and interesting white wines. This month, I would like to continue talk about white wines from Italy, this time from their neighbors in the Veneto.

Anyone trying to impress with their “wine acumen” will often spout off statements like, “Ah, this was an excellent year for Cabs!” or “Egad! I refuse to order any bottle from that vintage!” But what the heck is the secret to knowing good vintages from ones to avoid?

Sandy beaches cradle the vast Pacific Ocean on the Mendocino coastline; towering redwoods carpet the forests of Mendocino County’s state parks; in the winter, whales can be seen peeking up from the vast ocean waters, and everywhere you turn there’s a charming little town filled with cafés and curio shops. For visitors to Mendocino County, there’s no shortage of adventures to be had. With all of the activities Mendocino has to offer, it’s easy to forget that it’s also a thriving wine region. But if you skipped out on wine tasting while visiting the area, you’d be missing some of California’s finest and most diverse wines.

Though it seems that Paso Robles has only recently burst onto the wine stage, the fact is that grapes were first planted in 1797 near Mission San Miguel. The first commercial winery was formed in 1882 on York Mountain. In the ensuing 210 years since the mission fathers started making wine the quality has exponentially improved. Paso Robles boasts nearly 26,000 vineyard acres and approximately 40 different grape varietals.

Oh my goodness, I thought. I cannot possibly drink this big, full-bodied red wine in this heat – I’ll pass out! Nevertheless, there I was, in Paso Robles during a heat wave (100˚ in the shade), on a wine tasting tour. “Oh, no, this isn’t normal for May” they said “…but it’s great practice for the summer when it’s 110˚ for months!” A pale Seattle girl, I wiped my brow, took another swig of cooling water and headed determinedly back to the bar.

Let’s pretend for a moment that you are on vacation. The sun is shining. You are lounging on a veranda and the countryside around you seems to roll forever into the distance like a daydream. In this instance, when your thoughts fade to the warmth of the sun and simple foods and pleasures, there is no reason to confound your bliss with a wine that requires explanation. What your bliss wants is a Rosé. There is no more perfect summer wine than Rosé.

After driving for nearly four hours from San Francisco through winding roads and coastal highways, I pull into the long dirt driveway at Pacific Star Winery . Dust flies up from my car as I maneuver my way down toward the mid-sized redwood and stone winery overlooking the powerful Pacific Ocean. A pot-bellied beagle snoozes at the entrance to the winery while a calico cat mews loudly at me as I enter the tasting area. At the wine bar, a vivacious woman with long curly blonde hair entertains two guests from New York with tales of what’s inside their wine glasses .