As the season turns to friends and family, we would like to extend
to you our warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a fruitful New Year. We
would also like to take this opportunity to welcome new friends to the Amalie Robert
Estate FLOG.
The 5th of the month and the repeal of Prohibition!
The 5th of the month has more significance than Ernie was previously
aware. A thirst for knowledge and a little research has greatly expanded his appreciation
for the 5th of the month.
January through March is a write-off. We are just too busy working
to be bothered. However for some, the 5th of the month is payday.
April 5th is a day we wake up and realize the government
is about to get more of our money than ever before. However, we owe ourselves about
$20.6 trillion (up from about $19.9 trillion last year), that's just about $63,048
(up from about $61,315 last year) per person living in the United States
As you well know, the holiday Cinco De Mayo is a celebration on the
5th day of the 5th month. The purpose of which is to celebrate the victory by the
Mexican Army over the French Army in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Of course,
and as always, there is more to the story. Here is a link
with more details.
We transition right to June 5th. This date is very significant
to Ernie, as it is Dena’s birthday! As many of you know, Dena’s middle name is Amalie
and is the palate defining Amalie’s Cuvée.
July 5th is the day we would have declared our Independence
August 4th, 2011, again we couldn’t wait, is the first
time the US
However, August 5th brings little pink berries to our
Pinot Noir vines. Ernie likes this, a lot!
September 5th is significant to all children and especially
their parents. It usually is about the time the children are going back to school.
October 5th usually finds us in the middle of harvest.
Due to the protracted nature of harvesting and fermenting Chardonnay, Pinot
Meunier, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Viognier and now that little rascal Gewürztraminer,
Ernie has dubbed the 10th and 11th months to be “Octo-vem-BIER.”
On December 5th we find ourselves at the end of the calendar.
2017 marks the 84th year of the repeal of the social experiment known
as Prohibition.
On January 16th, 1919, the United States Congress passed the Volstead
Act. The Volstead Act led to the 18th amendment to the Constitution of
the United States
This is an excerpt of section 1 of the 18th amendment:
“…the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors
within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States
During the following 13 years, the people of the United States
It was in 1929 that a curious little product was invented and granted
trademark protection. Ernie may be deviating from his factual discourse here, but
perhaps this product was used in reference to the politicians of the day who could
not tell the difference between a good idea and Prohibition. Sometimes it is hard
to tell fact from fiction, sometimes not. The product was a shoe wax called Shinola.
Winegrowers of the time were a hearty breed, they had to be. The
manufacture, distribution and sale (including export offshore) of alcohol was illegal.
If your livelihood depended on growing some 100 tons of grapes and selling the fermented
juice, you were out of business (and so was your labor force), or so the politicians
thought.
Now, let us introduce the law of Supply and Demand (Note: Much like
gravity this is a law not subject to political pressure.) Despite a small minority
trying to legislate morality on the entire citizenry, the American public sought
to exercise their rights as citizens living in a free country. After all, that’s
why they were here.
It turns out that many people had unexplained illnesses during those
13 years. In visiting their family physicians, it seemed the most cost effective
treatment was the prescription of alcohol, wine in most cases, for medicinal purposes.
Thankfully, there was not a government run healthcare system at the time to prevent
such a low cost and effective treatment. It would have been illegal and besides,
that’s what the bootleggers were for!
Even today, the debate continues over the health benefits of alcohol,
red wine in particular and Pinot Noir specifically, for the high content of Resveratrol.
If only the perennial healthcare debates and litigation were this simple. You can
learn more about Resveratrol here.
We now come to the presidential election of 1932. FDR, as he was
known, achieved many things. The most wide sweeping change affected nearly everyone
in the United States Ireland
On December 5th, 1933, the 21st amendment was
ratified by the United States Congress. In what may be the most effective and efficient
legislation known to this great country, here is Section 1 in its entirety:
“Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution
of the United States
We see here that sweeping changes in legislation, or repeal of them,
may be difficult, but certainty not impossible.
As you enjoy the holiday season, please take a moment to reflect
on your constitutional right to grow, produce, blend, bottle, sell/purchase and
consume wine, especially Pinot Noir! And if you find yourself in need of a little
good cheer to celebrate this momentous occasion, then please visit yourself
upon the Amalie Robert Company store. UPS drivers are standing by.
When the time is right, please enjoy our wines with friends, food
and in moderation.
Kindest Regards,
Dena & Ernie
