What makes something local? We think of green chile as being quintessentially New Mexican, and yet tons of the chile we eat is actually grown in California, Mexico and beyond. Is it the stuff or is it the people that’s important? If your mom makes the red chile sauce she learned from her grandmother—but uses chiles from California—does that make it any less New Mexican? These are some of the questions I’ve been chewing on since I stumbled across Vara, a wine company born in New Mexico, making and selling wine with the history of New Mexico winemaking as its theme—but not actually growing grapes or making wine here.