US Postal Service: '2016 Is An Excellent Year For Grapes... Stamps'

The United States Postal Service has added a new five-cent grapes stamp to its stamp portfolio in honor of the million tons of wine grapes grown in the U.S. every year and, of course, America's abiding love for wine.

The stamps feature the artwork of John Burgoyne of West Barnstable, Massachusetts, and were designed by Derry Noyes of Washington. Burgoyne used pen, ink, and watercolor to produce the pinot noir grapes, which are believed to be one of the oldest cultivated grapes in the Vitus genus.

Though the first winery in California, which now produces the majority of wine in America, dates back to the 1700s, wine and grape cultivation have been a part of human history for many more centuries.  Pinot noir, which was once exclusive to Burgundy, is now grown in a number of U.S. wine regions including California, Oregon, and New York.

The grapes stamp was created "primarily for business mailers," according to a USPS press release, but true wine-lovers can purchase a roll of 10,000 stamps for $500 — about the same as three bottles of 2012 Kosta Browne from California's Koplen Vineyard.