Jim Costa: “Lastly, I would like to turn to something that has been important not only in California, but across the country and…”

“Lastly, I would like to turn to something that has been important not only in California, but across the country and around the world, and it also puts smiles on people's faces. For over 250 years, California has been producing the best wine, I think, in the world. California is the fourth largest producer of wine. This is, in large part, due to a lot of hard work, innovation, and craftsmanship of the State's 4,700 vintners and almost 6,000 growers. They make a difference every day, and they do it not before its time. Roughly 24 million people visit California's wine regions each year, making our State the most visited State for food- and wine-related activities. We are, after all, the number one agricultural State in the Nation, not only in wine production, but half of the Nation's fruits and vegetables, number one in citrus production, number one in milk production, number one in almonds and pistachios, and the list goes on and on and on. So as we near the end of California Wine Month this year, I would like to take a moment to celebrate our vintners, growers, farm workers--without the farm workers, we couldn't make this wine possible--and all those who contribute to this industry that provides healthy food as a part of a healthy diet that we all deserve and enjoy. ____________________”