Thursday Open Line


Today marks the birthday in 1910 of one of the major figures of the American wine industry — Julio Gallo. When Prohibition ended, he and his brother Ernest started making wine in humble surroundings — a rented California warehouse, with equipment bought on credit. Over years of hard work saw their winery became the largest in the U.S., and their creative marketing techniques helped shape the nation’s drinking tastes. Now, the Gallo establishment is joined by some 1,950 other wineries in America, which decant about $12.5 billion in yearly shipments. Overall, Americans consume an average of 2½ gallons of wine annually. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.