Beringer Wine Bricks during Prohibition

Prohibition launched across America on January 16, 1920 and threatened to end American wine production.  Wine makers faced a tough decision - give up on wines and start anew OR hope for repeal and try to stay afloat.  Many wine makers tore up their vineyards and turned to other forms of agriculture.  Some Napa Valley wine makers, however, put on their sly thinking caps.

Under Prohibition, there was no restriction on the actual growing of grapes.  Additionally, it was totally legal for a wine maker to sell their grapes as long as they sold them for non-alcoholic purposes.  On the downside, if someone used those grapes to make alcohol and the seller knew about it, both could face legal repercussions. To protect grape growers in the chance that bootleggers got a hold of their produce, the law created a loophole.  Wine makers could sell grapes that were marketed in a way that made it clear that turning them into an alcoholic beverage was illegal and that the wine maker was ignorant to the final use of those grapes.  In this case, the wine maker could not be punished.

Clever wine makers used this loophole to sell concentrated grape juice called wine bricks. These bricks could be purchased completely legally.  In fact, under Prohibition, individuals could create their own wine of up to 200 gallons for personal use. Wine makers were even able to include instructions on the wine bricks to make wine by cloaking the steps in what NOT to do.  The packaging would say things like, DO NOT leave the juice alone for 21 days or it will turn to wine.  Wine makers who kept their vineyards instead of tearing them up had greater demand because there were fewer suppliers of grape concentrate. Today, some of the most prominent wineries in Napa Valley, like Beringer, stayed in business due to these wine bricks.