Thursday Open Lines


Wednesday marked the birthday of one of the major figures of the American wine industry — Julio Gallo.  With his brother Ernest, he started making wine after Prohibition ended in humble surroundings — a rented California warehouse, with equipment bought on credit.  Over the years, the brothers’ hard work saw their winery become the largest in the U.S., and their creative marketing techniques helped shape the nation’s drinking tastes.  Now, Americans buy $18.5 billion of wine annually.  California vintners produce about 90 percent of the domestic wine sold in the U.S.  Overall, Americans consume an average of 2-1/2 gallons of wine annually.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.


Discuss and more on today’s Open Lines!