After a decade living on a Connecticut vineyard, managing its tasting room and marketing its wines, Rachel Edwards has come to appreciate the local farms who work just as hard at marketing the foods they grow. She's attended her share of banquets and "locavore" dinners showcasing their foods, and she's enjoyed every bite, but she's often felt something was missing.

"You eat these amazing locally-sourced foods, but then you get served an Argentinean wine," Edwards says. "I love the idea of farm-to-table and I want to do more farm-to-glass."

That's why Edwards, who previously helped her ex-husband manage Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington, has launched "press"—a website and blog devoted to promoting the wineries of New England. She hopes press will create the same sort of regional identity and appeal for the vineyards of these six states that the vineyards of California, for example, already enjoy. You might think of press as an Internet version of the Connecticut Wine Trail, but for Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont too.

Since press went on-line about a month ago, Edwards has been driving around New England signing up wineries to participate. The site lists 60 wineries across the region.  Besides links to their webpages, the wineries will be able to post news each month to promote their wines, special events, or other items of interest.

Press will include blogs from regular contributors on all things wine and all things New England. Amanda Bourne of Four Mile River Farm in Old Lyme will write about recipes made with wine from the region, and on the first Thursday of each month I will write about my experiences pairing tasty meals with New England wines. (Life is so rough sometimes.) My first posting next week will highlight Sharpe Hill Vineyard in Pomfret.

Each Wednesday a series on press called "Vows in the Vines" will offer insights on how to plan vineyard weddings. Other regular postings will cover winery events, wine tips, and wine conversation. One recent post debated the merits of corks vs. screwcaps. Fans can follow press on Facebook and Twitter, and folks who sign up can receive a bi-monthly newsletter by email.

Edwards hopes press will help New England wineries thrive even during challenging economic times. She cites recent press coverage that describes how even Napa Valley has had to market itself more aggressively of late.

"Wineries are discovering that having a webmaster on staff may be as important as a winemaker," she says. She hopes press can act perhaps as a clearinghouse for all of New England's wineries, helping them reach an enthusiastic audience inexpensively and instantaneously.

"New England doesn't get enough credit," she adds. "This is a way to market it as the region which it genuinely is." If it works, the wineries will sell more wine, and we will drink it. Sounds good to me.