“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for ‘danger,’ the other for ‘opportunity.’” – John F. Kennedy  In the early 1980s, the New York grape and wine industry was in an economic crisis due to a perfect storm of subsidized imports, corporate changes, changing consumer tastes and … Read more

Despite Prohibition, the Dust Bowl, and lingering suspicion of alcohol, somehow Oklahoma has managed to host a grape and wine industry. Actually, the first vineyard was planted in 1898, and Oklahoma was the second-largest grape producing state until the 1930s Dust Bowl. But statewide alcohol prohibition began a decade before the national version in 1919, … Read more

DC Updates New Government, New Challenges It’s still 10 days before the inauguration, but there’s now officially a new Congress, with a Speaker in the House and Majority Leader in the Senate facing an ambitious agenda ahead. Senate confirmation of the president-elect’s Cabinet nominees will be at the top of the list, along with actions … Read more

Ohio has long been one of the most vibrant and exciting wine producing states, from the vineyard to the winery and trade associations. In 1823 Nicolas Longworth planted Alexander and Isabella grapes in the Ohio River Valley, followed two years later by Catawba, which quickly became the dominant grape. In that era, Ohio was the … Read more

DC Updates New Year, New Government, New EIS Now that the holidays are over, Washington is coming alive with official rituals such as the swearing in of Congress today, the election of a Speaker (maybe), then certification of the presidential electoral votes in Congress on Monday (maybe), followed by the Inauguration two weeks later on … Read more