Look back to the future

Wines & Vines, Jan, 2000 by Al Cribari

The New Year begins", per the January, 1930 number. After the big market crash in October, most looked forward to a more pleasant and stable financial future. My father and family maintained a cautious outlook. Probably because as farmers, they were much more aware of the terrible plight of agriculture than the average citizen. But as I recall, the "professional, stock speculators" moved back into the stock market to pick up bargains only to find that the market took another plunge and wiped out the speculators, too. Despite this, the business of shipping fresh juice grapes and concentrate remained profitable.

"Get market reports by Radio". In a full-page ad the Union Oil Company announced that radio station KQW, in San Jose, would report crop prices three times daily. "It's audibility range extends from Canada to Mexico.

Plans are now under way to increase its power and activities."

I don't think we bought a radio until about 1934 or so.

The news was somewhat good. W&V reported in its January, 1950, edition that the price of bulk desert wine had stabilized at about 50[cents] per gallon (net, naked, FOB winery--as we used to say). This market was, according to W&V, "a satisfactory one", and according to my recollections, it was. Unfortunately, it offered--at least to me--no great deal of comfort as I was fearful of another downturn in prices. And so they did, as I remember, in '52 or so there was another slight dip in bulk dessert wine prices but table wine held firm and that was the beginning of a long-term rise in wine prices, continuing to this day. Yes there have been some dips but, in general, nothing too serious.

As a matter of fact, Howard E. Williams writes an article, "Prices to stay up": Williams, at that time was general manager of Wine Growers Guild--a major supplier of bulk wines and an important player in the bottle trade, especially with their Vino da Tavola.

"California Stabilization Fund Assessments Begin. The year began with a bang for the wine industry, California's Grape Stabilization Advisory Board recommended -- the levying of stabilization fund assessments on California wines, brandies and grape concentrate." As I recall this plan did not last very long but to some people it was to be the salvation of the industry.

Big article on the move of Cella Vineyards headquarters to the California Hotel in Fresno. A fine idea that didn't work 'cause others had captured the market that Cella intended to seize and the Cellas did not want to invest the kind of money that it would take to gain entry into the market they previously had held with their Roma brand.

"Winemakers' Professional Group Formed". After several months of discussion, "a committee met in Stockton, Calif. on December 16 and approved the tentative by-laws for the American Society of Enologists. Charles Holden of Safeway Store's Peralta Winery, Lawrence Quaccia of The Guild and Harold "Hod" Berg of U.C., Davis were more or less the "founding fathers".

Here's an oldie that resurrects fond memories for me: Cribari's "Birthday Bottle". This was an idea that had great potential. An order for a special occasion (birthday, wedding, etc.) was sent to our NYC office. There they merely put a special label on a champagne bottle that was labeled with a small legal, "no-brand" label and out it went. Great idea, and it went over very well (and very quickly). I forget why it ceased to be but I think it was a dispute with the originator over the cost of labeling small batches. Anyway, I guess Weibel took over from there.

And speaking of fond memories, there is a picture of ole' Jimmy Vai, president of Padre Vineyards Co., "greeting Ellye Marshall, movie starlet who had been named Champagne Queen for 1950". Wonder where Ellye is today?

"Pastene to Wholesale in N.Y." Pastene, usually pronounced Passteen, was a powerful Massachusetts wine merchant. I think this move lasted quick.

So forward we moved, not realizing that we had pretty much turned the corner and that the industry would begin a long slow climb to new heights.

The January, 1970 edition of W&V is the Brandy Issue. Brandy seemed a good bet then for the industry to solve some of its surplus grape problems but since then the distilled spirits category seems to have shrunk somewhat. I think even Bob Ivie has trouble tracking this item.

However, for those still interested in the item I can say that one of the most delicious brandies I ever tasted is that produced by East-Side winery (a.k.a. Oak Ridge Vineyards). This is a 10 to 15 year old blend equal to almost anything that can be procured. Sadly, East-Side no longer produces beverage brandy.

"Repeal"--that is the subject of Irv Marcus's editorial this month. On "account of," this is the 30th anniversary of Repeal of the 18th Amendment. Well, I guess, technically, we didn't repeal the 18th, (it's still on the books) we just nullified it by enacting the 21st. Irv reports that while listening to the radio on and about the anniversary of Repeal, the president of the WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union) stated that Repeal "had made us a nation of 4 million alcoholics". Hmmm. Wonder how many alcoholics there were in the Twenties? Actually, having been raised in a familia atmosphere of derision and contempt for the Drys, I, soon after high school, realized that the reason for the radical dry was usually a tragedy involving ethanol in the person's background. I then learned to discuss, with Drys, the topic of licensed beverages with great empathy and sincere listening.