Way down in an article in the SF Chronicle about wine sponsors like Ravenswood (No Wimpy Wahns Y’all) at Infinion Raceway is this gem:

James Wilson of Reno, wearing a beat-up ball cap and scruffy beard, tasted the 2003 Ravenswood Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel ($15) and said somewhat professorially, “NASCAR fans are becoming so much more diversified. People think we’re a bunch of rednecks.”

His Reno buddy, Mike Sweeney — bare-chested, muscled, tattooed and with a shaved head — expressed his love of Pinot Noir, described by many as the most feminine of red wines.

“I used to drink a lot of Cabernet and Syrah,” Sweeney said, “but now I’m into Pinot Noir. James and I went to Roche Winery yesterday and tried their wines. Do you like Roche wine? I thought the 2004 Pinot Noir was better than the 2003.”

No upturned pinkies on these guys.

Awesome. Anyone who’s been to a NASCAR event knows that NASCAR fans aren’t just a bunch of rednecks, and many clearly aren’t afraid to experiment with wine. If we can help more guys like Mike discover Pinot, and there’s no reason we can’t, then we and the industry are in very good shape.