For The Love Of Port

I read this on a winery's blog and it struck me funny, thought I would share.

Wine Fact of the Day - The Wine Brick

During prohibition, a product called the 'Grape Brick' was sold to thousands of wine-starved households across America by wineries looking to recoup their loses. Attached to the 'brick' of dried and pressed winegrape concentrate was a packet of yeast, and the stern warning, "Do not add yeast or fermentation will result."

Here are the instructions:
To make a refreshing grape-juice drink, dissolve the grape brick in a large pitcher of water.
However, on the other side of the package was a warning:
Caution: Never mix contents in two gallons of warm water to which you have added a pinch of yeast, and one pound of sugar. If this mixture is left to stand in a cloth covered container for two weeks, an ALCOHOLIC beverage will result, which is illegal.

Best laugh I have had in daze!

Thanks for sharing, priceless.

You do realize that Prohibition was started by a woman, right?

Some noteable quotes from the Wikipedia article about Prohibition:
"Wine historians also note that Prohibition destroyed what was a fledgling wine industry in the United States. Productive wine quality grape vines were replaced by lower quality vines growing thicker skinned grapes that could be more easily transported. Much of the institutional knowledge was also lost as winemakers either emigrated to other wine producing countries or left the business altogether."

I'm glad I took some time to read about this. I had never thought about Prohibition's effect on the wine industry.

"During Prohibition, large numbers of people began making their own alcoholic beverages at home. To do so, they often used bricks of wine, sometimes called blocks of wine. To meet the booming demand for grape juice, California grape growers increased their area about 700% in the first five years of prohibition. The juice was commonly sold as "bricks or blocks of Rhine Wine," "blocks of port," and so on along with a warning: "After dissolving the brick in a gallon of water, do not place the liquid in a jug away in the cupboard for twenty days, because then it would turn into wine." One grape block producer sold nine varieties: Port, Virginia Dare, Muscatel, Angelica, Tokay, Sauterne, Riesling, Claret and Burgundy."

I'm guessing that it took more than one woman to bring about Prohibition. I'm guessing you're referring to Frances Willard? She was also influential in getting women the vote, which it turns out also had much to do with her desire to spread her temperance philosophies. So in a way I'm grateful for her, misguided though she may have been.

The wine industry was clearly decimated, although a few shrewd players like Robert Mondavi's father, continued to sell grapes, which were sold under the auspice of being used for sacramental purposes. But along with the wine companies and businesses that moved their product; the families that made their living as farmers of wine grapes and the people they paid to pick the grapes and maintain the vineyards were all affected too.

Yes, she was a multifaceted onion. Not all of her deeds were evil, but Prohibition makes it hard now to admire her goodness.

Now that is too funny! Gotta love their blatant way of getting around the ban.

I could forgive dear old Francis for promoting Temperance and Prohibition - but getting women the vote, that's just a step too far!

The story of the Grape Brick is excellent - if the guy who thought of that was in marketing today he would make millions

Whoa, Derek. I have no choice but to pull out a Bugs Bunny quote: "Them's fightin' words" (Or 'woids', as Bugs would pronounce it)

Melanie R. wrote:Whoa, Derek. I have no choice but to pull out a Bugs Bunny quote: "Them's fightin' words" (Or 'woids', as Bugs would pronounce it)

I've seen Derek fight, he's a sissy. You can take him Melanie

I have heard about this product from my grandpa. Quite popular to say the least.

Melanie R. wrote:Some noteable quotes from the Wikipedia article about Prohibition:
"Wine historians also note that Prohibition destroyed what was a fledgling wine industry in the United States. ... Much of the institutional knowledge was also lost as winemakers either emigrated to other wine producing countries or left the business altogether."

I'm glad I took some time to read about this. I had never thought about Prohibition's effect on the wine industry.

Since this is the Other Discussions area, I think it fair to bring up parallels in the brewing industry. In the late 1800s there were over 1500 breweries in the U.S. Less than half survived after prohibition. In 2008 there were 1545 breweries in the U.S. It took the industry 75 years to recover.

Andy Velebil wrote:

Melanie R. wrote:Whoa, Derek. I have no choice but to pull out a Bugs Bunny quote: "Them's fightin' words" (Or 'woids', as Bugs would pronounce it)

I've seen Derek fight, he's a sissy. You can take him Melanie

Is it safe to come out yet?

LOL, I don't know...I may just challenge you to an arm-wrestling match should we ever meet at a tasting in the future.

Melanie R. wrote:LOL, I don't know...I may just challenge you to an arm-wrestling match should we ever meet at a tasting in the future.

It's a deal. The winner gets to drink all of Andy's Port

Melanie,

By the time Derek makes it out here in this direction, he may just be old enough for you to be able to put him down. Don't hold your breath, it will probably be another decade.

LOL. Well, who knows, maybe we'll all organize a trip to the UK to meet up with all the Port lovers over there one day, eh? Of course, if they held a big tasting it might be an enticement....

They hold them frightenly regularly, Melanie, including about once a year when they put together huge tastings that draw participation from the producers. The last one was a Graham's Malvedos vertical that went back to the 1950s! Andy flew over for that one, as I recall.

Glenn E. wrote:They hold them frightenly regularly, Melanie, including about once a year when they put together huge tastings that draw participation from the producers. The last one was a Graham's Malvedos vertical that went back to the 1950s! Andy flew over for that one, as I recall.

Melanie,

I think Glenn's "frighteningly regularly" is putting it too strongly. In the past six months we have only had:

1966 v 1967 Comparitive Tasting with Dominic Symington
The Unkonwn Shipper (mostly 100 year old stuff) with Rute Monteiro of Quinta do Noval
Complete Vesuvio Vertical from 1989 to 2008 with Johnny Symington
Graham's and Graham's Malvedos Vertical from 1955 to 2008 with Paul Symington and Richard Mayson
Blind Colheita Tasting with Oscar Quevedo and Godfery Spence
Warre Vertical from 1945 to 1985 with Dominic Symington (almost, but he got stuck in Portugal due to volcanic ash )
1960 Horizontal with Oscar Quevedo
Blind Tasting with Richard Mayson, including a Ferreira 1863

...and only about 15 other minor tastings.

As you can see we try not to cram too much in. If you ever have a desire to come to the UK for a Port tasting please let me know and you will be more than welcome to join us. The more notice we have of your arrival the more spectacular the tasting is likely to be

Derek

Show off!

Maybe I should just MOVE over there.

Melanie R. wrote:Maybe I should just MOVE over there.

That's what I keep saying