Toast The End Of Prohibition, Drink Wine

The law that regulated Prohibition, The Volstead Act, also allowed farmers and consumers to make a small amount of wine for personal use because it was considered to be non-intoxicating fruit juice. Religious uses of wine were also exempt from Prohibition and many people, ahem, got very religious. 

The era changed America's winemaking tastes, and at the end of Prohibition winemaking in this country was left in dismal shape. Vineyards were badly neglected and many of the winemakers had died or left for other countries. As for American culture, the near end of wine was the beginning of the era of cocktails. 

So as you watch the much-anticipated premier of Boardwalk Empire this Sunday night, why not pretend you are living in that era? Of course, in your version, you can still sip something super savvy, like bordeaux. We imagine the French were still enjoying their vin while in-the-know Americans in the 1920s were either scrambling to get their hands on something decent or making their own "fruit juice" at home. 

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