Wine & Prohibition

It was January 16th, 1920, when Prohibition was declared official in the United States. For nearly fourteen years, the manufacturing, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were under a constitutional ban in the United States. Although the consumption of alcohol itself was not illegal. Americans who owned liquor within their home walls before the ban were free to enjoy it in privacy. It was wineries, among many other businesses at the time, that suffered significant losses. Amongst religious and medicinal uses, alcohol still remained for these purposes as well.

     Before the ban, wineries upon wineries had begun opening businesses in hopes of being able to produce wines as elegant and delectable as the wines from Europe, France to be exact. Unfortunately, many wineries were forced to shut down with much anticipation for success due to the ban, which led to a significant setback in America's wine industry. Winemakers frantically pushed to ship millions of gallons of their wine overseas by January 16th. As a result of the ban, there was such a high demand for illegal liquor that it's no surprise that Prohibition led to the rise of organized crime. American gangsters such as Al Capone ruling the unlawful production and distribution of alcohol. 

With Prohibition about to enter effect, wineries had to make huge sacrifices before January 16th, 1920, to ensure that they were following the law; much of the wine had to be shipped overseas or disposed of. While churches and even drug stores could continue selling a tiny percentage of alcohol for medicinal and religious uses still required a winemaker running an active vineyard. On that note, a vineyard that certainly took advantage of this was Beaulieu Vineyard. It was years before Prohibition that Georges de Latour had obtained a warrant to produce alter wine to the church, and was the only vineyard that produced wine all across America for Catholic churches.

    Once the eighteenth amendment was repealed, wineries began to open up again. Liquor was in high demand, and winemakers were ready to go back to work. Afflicted and out of money, many wineries did not survive and were once again forced to shut down. It was beer and distilled liquor that won the favor of many sober Americans. Wine-making necessitated more time to produce, while beer was more accessible.

We Want Beer - Women march at an Anti-Prohibition demonstration in Newark, New Jersey, 1932

For the 14 years of prohibition, Renault Wine Tonic was sold in drug stores nationwide labeled"not to chill the tonic, as it would turn into wine which is illegal." If anyone asks, I plead the fifth.

    While many Prohibition wineries exist today, during the nearly fourteen-years that alcohol was banned, many vineyards died off and were never revisited ever since. 

    

Americans celebrate the end of a 14-year dry era.