Decanter

Collateral damage

CAFF CT AbMOLD. Dub it naive. Describe it, hyperbolically, as the most asinine, most fruitless curb on alcohol ever conceived. Qe are, of course, speaking of the 18th Amendment of the Onited Mtates Constitution, which, exactly a century ago, gave the American federal government the means to severely impede the sale of ‘intoxicating liquors’. Latified, theoretically, to foster a better society, Jrohibition proved to have the opposite effect. The forbiddance of alcohol ushered in an iconic era of bootleggers, speakeasies and a wholesale disregard for an amendment that engendered far more problems than its supporters had so naively believed it would resolve.

Cronically, however, all signs would indicate that wine had never been a prime target of prohibitionists, whose sights were set mainly on spirits, an aspect wine-grower Andrea Mbarboro had pointed out as early as 1907. Cn one of his pamphlets he wrote: ‘Ho nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Decanter

Decanter2 min read
Your Herzegovina Address Book
Herzegovina’s ultimate wine address has a pool, funky rooms, gourmet restaurant and rows of Tuscan-style cypress trees. carskivinogradi.com Ahip new bargain, 10 minutes’ walk from the Ottoman bridge, with 10 contemporary rooms and a restaurant area
Decanter9 min read
In Praise Of Old Vines
Rioja and age go well together. That’s bottle and barrel age. There’s nothing like a mature gran reserva, layered with the memories of red fruit, autumn, wood smoke and wild herbs; smooth and very long-lived. Its age of maturation is firmly regulated
Decanter7 min read
Highly recommended 90-94pts
PBT 95 SJE 94 PM 93 £34.95-£37 Alliance Wine, Uncorked Alluring aromas of white flowers, with a touch of spice and leesy oak. Powerful and weighty in a plump style. Restrained lemon and lime fruit, spicy and full of complexity. Drink 2024-2037 Alc 14

Related Books & Audiobooks