The history of wine consumption in the United States has been littered with starts, stops, and inconsistencies. The American population has always had a love-hate relationship with alcohol. Historical prohibitionist attitudes among much of the US population have blurred the line between moderate wine consumption and harmful alcoholism. As a result, regular and moderate consumption of wine by the American public continues to face ideological and legal impediments.

The history of wine consumption during colonial times

From its origins, the history of wine consumption in America has been promoted and despised by different demographic groups. Spanish missionaries produced the first New World wine in the early 17th century. Shortly thereafter, French immigrants began growing grapes in the Hudson River Valley. They made wine, juice and preserves.

The early history of wine consumption in the United States was dominated by immigrants who were primarily Catholic and of Central or Southern European descent. Most of the wine-drinking immigrants came from the wine-loving nations of France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. They descended from cultural traditions that valued the social consumption of wine with dinner.

The aforementioned wine drinkers were countered by immigrants from Northern Europe. Many held Puritan belief systems that discouraged or prohibited the consumption of alcohol of any kind. The nativist movements of the early 18th century cast suspicion on immigrant groups who retained Old World ways and did not fully assimilate into American society.

Wine consumption was a lightning rod for these discriminatory views. Although not exact, alcoholism was seen as a problem only associated with certain ethnic groups who enjoyed wine. Whiskey and beer were the actual source of the vast majority of problem drunkenness. However, the early prohibitionist forces were very effective in linking wine to the ills of American society.

History of wine consumption during the 19th century

In the 1830s, Americans consumed large amounts of whiskey and beer. Alcoholism was widespread and was affecting the stability of the American family. Husbands spent time in saloons rather than with their families, and rampant drunkenness increased instances of womanizing and delinquency.

Ironically, as prohibitionist fervor gained national momentum in the 19th century, the American wine industry flourished. From 1860 to 1880, phylloxera devastated the vineyards of France. California wine production increased greatly to fill the international void. Huge tracts of vineyards were planted in Southern California to meet the international demand for wine. However, most of this production was exported and did not have a major impact on the history of wine consumption in America.

In the mid-1880s, European wine production recovered, leading to a glut of American wine. To make matters worse, Pierce’s disease and phylloxera simultaneously attacked Southern California vineyards. The increase in population and real estate values ​​in the Los Angeles basin was the final nail in the coffin for extensive viticulture in the region. With prohibitionist attitudes steadily gaining momentum, American demand for wine was insufficient to offset the loss of the much larger European market.

History of wine during the prohibition years

In response to the massive protest by many Americans against alcohol consumption, Congress passed the 18th Amendment in 1917. It prohibited the commercial production and sale of alcohol in the United States. The Volstead Act was ratified in 1920 and laid out the actual implementation of Prohibition. It also mandated several loopholes in the production and consumption of alcohol. Physicians could prescribe alcohol and it could be consumed for religious purposes. Additionally, a householder was legally allowed to produce 200 gallons of wine a year for personal use. This was largely a concession to the important Italian-American electorate.

Due to the Volstead Act, American wine consumption increased during Prohibition. The traditional American alcoholic beverages of beer and distilled spirits were illegal to produce and sell from 1920-1933. As a result, regions like Lodi saw a massive increase in demand for grapes used for home winemaking.

Prohibition did not reduce America’s appetite for alcohol, it simply destroyed the legal framework that governs alcohol sales. Due to the inaccessibility of alcohol, the use of other drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, increased considerably. In addition, the government lost an important source of revenue by taxing alcohol as organized crime seized the means of production and distribution. The American public became increasingly dissolved by the government’s dogged attempt to achieve the impossible.

The Twenty-First Amendment: Repeal of Prohibition

After a decade of “noble experiment,” Congress passed the 21st Amendment. It ended nationwide Prohibition and transferred the authority to permit or prohibit the production and sale of alcohol to individual states. Many states relegated this authority to the county level. Counties in some states ban alcohol to this day. The history of wine production and sale since the repeal of Prohibition has been governed by the 21st Amendment, not the free trade mandates of the US Constitution.

Because each state has the power to make its own laws regarding wine sales, it has effectively made commercial wine distribution a complicated mess. Marketing wine in the US remains a difficult and frustrating task, especially for smaller wineries.

The effects of the 21st Amendment have had a major impact on the history of wine consumption in the US during the 20th and 21st centuries. His legacy is a tangle of state and county laws that regulate the production and sale of wine.

The Years of Generous Wine

Immediately after the repeal of Prohibition, wine consumption fell as Americans had renewed access to liquor and beer. From the repeal of Prohibition until the late 1950s, high-alcohol desserts and fortified wines dominated the market. These were the darkest days in the history of wine production and consumption. Many fortified wines were produced and sold at extremely low prices and made their way to the “misery market”. The “Winos” drank these excessively alcoholic concoctions because they were the cheapest way to get drunk. In the search for short-term profits, unscrupulous producers have left a black mark on the history of wine in the United States.

From 1934 to the early 1950s, most table wines were consumed by immigrant families. Unfortunately, many of their children did not follow the traditional beverages of their parents and began consuming beer and cocktails as they assimilated into American society. Table wine was a mystery drink to most Americans and was associated with high society and newcomers from southern and central Europe.

The Years of Jug Wine

America’s taste for unfortified wines finally began to develop in the early 1960s. Most of these new wine drinkers were young, well-traveled, and relatively well-off. As the Baby Boom generation came of age, the ranks of wine drinkers swelled. Still, most consumers bought simple, sweet wines.

The early 1980s saw the height of the frenzy to promote and sell inexpensive wines to the American public. The White Zinfandel craze was and still is a major part of the market. Total American wine consumption reached an all-time high due to a massive influx of capital and advertising. Despite predictions of continued increases, it did not materialize.

At the same time, overall alcohol consumption declined in the United States during the 1980s. The anti-drug and alcohol movement justifiably discouraged dangerous levels of drug and alcohol ingestion. Unfortunately, extremists in the movement also attacked the history of wine consumption in the United States. Zero-tolerance attitudes portrayed moderate wine consumption as not only dangerous to the individual, but also harmful to the entire population.

The Renaissance years

In the late 1980s, the consumption of jug wine dropped dramatically. American tastes were changing and the market began to demand wines with defined characteristics. Mike Benziger’s Glen Ellen Winery stepped into the void, creating the hugely popular genre of “fighting varietals.” These wines bridged the gap between the generic production of the past and the boutique wineries of the following decade.

Much of America’s current interest in quality wine stems from a 1991 60-minute show that examined the health benefits of moderate wine consumption. The “French paradox” is the fact that the French consume fatty foods, a significant amount of red wine, and have a very low incidence of heart disease. This news had a huge impact on American wine consumption, especially in the wealthy and aging demographic.

The future… Factors to consider

As American society becomes increasingly fast-paced and hectic, fewer families are sitting down to dinner together. This is not a positive sign for wine consumption in the United States, as few people open a bottle of wine to drink with their grab-and-go dinners.

The enjoyment of wine is a symptom of relaxation, and these days American society is anything but relaxed. The history of wine is also synonymous with stable family relationships, and the divorce rate in the US is currently hovering around 50%.

Furthermore, wine is a complicated subject that usually requires a certain amount of free time and money to become a true adept. Additionally, wine has an unflattering image among many American alcohol consumers who prefer beer or hard liquor. In my opinion, there are limits to how big the quality wine market can grow.

On a more positive note, the American population is aging and older and wealthier people tend to enjoy wine more than other demographic groups. Hopefully, they will pass on their appreciation of wine to the next generation.

In many ways, the history of wine consumption in the US is a microcosm of the positives and negatives that come with the innate American experience. Studying the history of wine consumption in the US illuminates the political, cultural, religious, and racial diversity that has made the nation what it is today.

The United States has a relatively small but growing population of wine lovers. Although the number of regular wine drinkers is far from the majority, it will continue to grow as the population ages. Future trends will likely include increased consumption of quality varietals grown in specific terroir-driven locations.