After Repeal
Grapes for the Long Haul
During Prohibition, California’s vineyards actually expanded. Due to exemptions that allowed legal production of wine for personal, medicinal, religious, and ceremonial purposes, demand for grapes remained strong throughout Prohibition.
Growers were eager to supply citizen winemakers, and many had to replant their vineyards with grape varieties thick-skinned enough to survive the journey from California to the areas of highest consumer demand—cities like Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. This favored the production of red wine grapes like Alicante Bouschet, Zinfandel, and Carignane over thinner-skinned red varieties like Cabernet and Merlot and white-wine grapes such as Chardonnay and Riesling.
Wine for the Church
The Concannon family, whose vineyard ownership in California’s Livermore Valley stretches back to 1883, received official permits to make and sell wine during Prohibition. The Concannons supplied the sacramental needs of the Catholic Church in San Francisco and other locales with sweet, fortified wines. At Prohibition’s repeal in 1933, the Concannons ramped up production of dry table wines for consumers.
Wine bottle, 1930
Gift of James and John Concannon
Produced during Prohibition, this bottle contained twelve ounces of Sherry, a sweet fortified wine (14 percent alcohol) that found favor for sacramental and medicinal purposes during the dry years.
Wine bottle, 1930
Gift of James and John Concannon
Produced during Prohibition, this bottle contained twelve ounces of Angelica wine, a sweet fortified wine (14 percent alcohol) typically made from Mission grapes.
Wine at home
For many immigrants from Italy, Spain, Germany, and Eastern Europe, drinking wine with meals was an important part of daily life. Under Prohibition, people were allowed to produce up to 200 gallons per year for their own use, which allowed them to maintain this essential tradition of the table.
Home winemaking, early 1900s
Wine press
Juice pressed from the crushed grapes was stored in wooden barrels for aging before bottling.
Wine, 1964
This 1964 vintage bottled in a recycled soda bottle was the last vintage produced by Francesco Lee.
Risky Business?
During the height of Prohibition in 1927, Giovanni Pedroncelli bought up vineyards in Sonoma County, California. He and his family improved the vineyards and sold grapes to home winemakers and to wineries licensed to produce medicinal and sacramental wines. The risk of starting such an enterprise during Prohibition was mitigated by neighborly support from other Italian American winemakers.
Winery sign, 1940–late 1970s
Gift of Pedroncelli Family and Winery
A wooden sign painted in the colors of the Italian flag marked the entrance to the Pedroncellis’ winery.
Polenta pot, 1920s–1970s
Gift of Pedroncelli Family and Winery
The Pedroncelli family used this copper pot to make polenta, a traditional Italian dish made from coarsely ground corn. They shared dishes from home, like venison stew served on polenta, among family and with neighbors.
Barrel stencil, 1935–early 1950s
Gift of Pedroncelli Family and Winery
Winemakers used stencils to mark wine barrel heads. “B.W. No. 113” stands for “Bonded Winery #113,” indicating that the Pedroncellis were licensed to make and store wine. The stencil also indicates that the barrel contained “California Claret,” a generic term used for dark red wines.
