The National Wine
UnClub
Newsletter
ONCE UPON A TIME...
(THE EVOLUTION OF WINE APPRECIATION IN AMERICA)
The culinary arts (including wine) are being enjoyed today to a much greater degree than ever before in the United States as we have matured substantially as a society from our rather rugged pioneer beginnings over 400 years ago. This societal progression to the more refined sensibilities of the look, smell and taste of food (and drink) is 'a good thing' as Martha Stewart pronounces regularly on her television show which is dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts, amongst other things.Our forefathers appreciated, first and foremost, hearty fare that would sustain them in their herculean efforts to carve a high civilization out of a virtual wilderness. Early on, these hardy souls survived on wild game (or seafood in coastal or riverside communities) supplemented by coarse breads made from various grains. Corn was introduced by the native Indians, as were tomatoes, peppers, and other assorted vegetables. In times of scarcity, some of the earliest settlers in Jamestown, Virginia, ate "dogges, catts, ratts, and myce."
Wine was consumed during pioneer days but primarily by the wealthy elite who had little to do with the hard labor being performed by their slaves or workers. The wine of choice for the few members of American society who could afford it during colonial times was actually a sweet fortified wine from the Portuguese islands of Madeira. England was an enemy of France at this time so little French wine made it to the original thirteen colonies.
It was during the American Revolution that the pleasures of fine French wine were introduced more openly to American 'high society'. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, both ambassadors to France around this period were enthralled with the wines they were served in Paris and at the court of the French king. They both spent great sums of money procuring this delectable potable for their use back home in America.
But wine as a drink for the more average American didn't really take hold until our fathers and grandfathers were shipped off to Europe during World War II. Wine was a staple for the European communities they liberated and these heroic boys were feted with the beverage often during their years of service there, including the many years of occupation following the cessation of hostilities.
Men of every rank came home and began demanding that their local beverage stores carry Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis, Champagne, Rhine, Mosel, and Chianti wines. Before California wines had any widespread notoriety, former servicemen were enjoying Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Pouilly-Fuisse, and Bernkasteler Doktor with their families at mealtime.
Still, the United States as a whole was not considered a major market for wine. When the post-war generation (baby-boomers) came of age, wine wasn't the beverage of choice. Liquor and beer were still king as both these forms of alcoholic beverage had become exceedingly popular during and after Prohibition. Canadian, Irish, and Scotch whiskey were joined by Bourbon whiskey and the brews of Miller and Anheuser-Busch to unite as the primary drinks of choice of the American adult during the late '50s and throughout the '60s and early '70s.
It was during the late '70s that wine emerged as a contender for the popular dominance of spirits and beer in the United States. California had made great strides with their wine industry and new wineries were coming on line quite rapidly. American enthusiasts of imported wines began to take note of this emergence of exceptional wine quality in the Golden State and started adding labels like Robert Mondavi Reserve, Sterling Reserve, and BV "Georges de Latour" Private Reserve to their collections.
Neo-Prohibition reared its head during the mid to late '80s but the wine revolution in America could not be extinguished. And, when Morly Safer announced in November 1989 his findings in a "60 Minutes" program about the potential health benefits of moderate wine consumption, the dam holding back the mounting interest in this country broke loose contributing mightily to the flood of wine enthusiasm we see in the United States today.
With the current wealth of the average American at an all-time high, the United States has become THE most important market for wine in the world. European, as well as New World wine-producing countries, consider America as the primary focus for their wine exports. This is illustrated remarkably by incidents of trade disagreements that the United States has with countries like France where our government will raise tariffs on French wine above any other commodity (except cheese) to get the French to agree to our trading demands.
Thus wine, the royal drink once reserved for the kings and popes of Europe, has become an almost daily beverage for many Americans. The culture of the Old World has merged with that of the New, and, interestingly enough, we Americans have once again proven that the vision of equality of the average person with the high and mighty is inherent in our national character. Indeed, wine is for everyone, great or small in the overall scheme of things, who is mature enough to appreciate its subtlety and power.
Donald W. White