Today marks the 80th anniversary of Prohibition’s repeal, an act that put an end to the country’s 13-year-long dry spell. The legacy of this period is very much apparent in cocktail culture: Modern bars are constructed to look like speakeasies, moonshine has made a comeback, and cocktail historians refer to events as either pre-or post-Prohibition.
While its impact on the American wine industry might be less obvious, it is no less significant. We’ve gathered a few reads that highlight some of the lingering effects of this historic piece of legislature on our relationship with wine.
- —America’s Wine is a new documentary that follows the vintners of the Prohibition era, and how they survived. Huffington Post caught up with the film’s director about her research. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-orlin/the-legacy-of-prohibition_b_4385186.html]
- –How far have we actually come in the last 80 years? At Wine-Searcher.com, Rebecca Gibb sees the repercussions of Prohibition in the enduring state laws that keep a tight grip on alcohol sales and shipping. [http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2013/12/the-state-we-re-in-80-years-since-repeal-of-prohibition]
- –The subject of wine during Prohibition was at the center of an event at the Smithsonian in October, with representatives from several surviving wineries on hand to speak about the period. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/how-prohibition-affected-americans-wine-palate/2013/10/14/108b5bd0-3118-11e3-8627-c5d7de0a046b_story.html]
