When the Rivers Ran Red: An Amazing Story of Courage and Triumph in America's Wine Country

257 Pages·2009·1.59 MB·English

by  Vivienne Sosnowski

When the Rivers Ran Red

An Amazing Story of Courage and
Triumph in America’s Wine Country
Vivienne Sosnowski
01 sosnowski text:Arafat 4/20/09 8:38 AM Page i
“Sosnowski’s fascinating account of how Napa and Sonoma winemakersstruggled to sur-
vive during the national insanity known asProhibition fills a giant hole in the history of
American wine. Wine loverseverywhere should thank her for tracking down survivors,
many now intheir nineties, who provided rich accounts of what it was like to livethrough
that terrible nightmare. A tale well told, Sosnowski has afine touch.”
—George M. Taber, bestselling author of Judgment of Paris
“Rich, moving and evocative, Sosnowski’s exquisite writing brings to life a chapter of Amer-
ican history that has largely been forgotten.Anyone whoenjoys California’s legendary
wines will absolutelyadore When the Rivers Ran Red.A book to be savored, word by word.
Were this a great bottle of wine, it would deserve 5 stars out of 4.”
—Don and Petie Kladstrup, bestselling authors of
Wine & War: The French, the Nazis and the
Battle for France’s Greatest Treasureand
Champagne: How the World’s Most Glamorous
Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times
“Sosnowski’s When the Rivers Ran Redwill defeat the misconception that fine California
wine represents a recent phenomenon. This fast paced, crisply written account of Califor-
nia winemakers’ battle to survive Prohibition breathes new life into this precious Ameri-
can tradition and shows in gripping detail how deep these vines’ roots run in the soils of
lovely Napa and Sonoma Valleys.”
—William Echikson, author of
Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution
“Intensely moving, fast-paced, horrifying and inspiring in turns, When the Rivers Ran Redis
a beautifully written, deeply researched story of liberty and tyranny, the love of life and the
sickness of its enemies. I shall remember it every time I visit California wine country.”
—Hugh Johnson, bestselling author of
The World Atlas of Wine,The Story of Wine
and the Pocket Wine Bookseries.
“The tentacles of the Volstead Act were powerful and far-reaching.In telling what hap-
pened in California’s valleys during the difficultyears of Prohibition, Vivienne Sosnowski
puts a human face on the misery and desperation, but shows the courage and ingenuitythat
has ultimately led to the triumph of the state’s wine growers.”
—Gerald Asher, Gourmetmagazine, and author of
The Pleasures of WineandVineyard Tales
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Credit: Terry Forte, HR Hegnauer.
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When the
Rivers Ran Red
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When the
Rivers Ran Red
An Amazing Story of Courage and
Triumph in America’s Wine Country
Vivienne Sosnowski
01 sosnowski text:Arafat 4/20/09 8:38 AM Page viii
WHENTHERIVERSRANRED
Copyright © Vivienne Sosnowski, 2009
All rights reserved.
First published in 2009 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the US–a division of
St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is
by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in
England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire
RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has
companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the
United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
“Beaulieu Wine Plant is Ready for New Boom,” The San Francisco Chronicle,
December 6, 1933. Reprinted by permission from The San Francisco Chronicle ©
2009. The Hearst Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Ray Doyle, “Arms For Death Fight Over Grape Racket,” New York Daily Mirror,
October 27, 1930. ©New York Daily News, L.P. Used with permission.
ISBN: 978–0–230–60574–9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library
of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Letra Libre
First edition: June 2009
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
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Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
Prologue xvii
1. The Land was Sacred to These Families 1
2. No Nation is Drunken where Wine is Cheap 17
3. These Vines are like Members of My Family 39
4. It was a Clamoring Mob 49
5. To Hell with Prohibition 59
6. If We Hadn’t Bootlegged, We Wouldn’t Have Survived 83
7. Almost as Ubiquitous as the Radiance of
the Moon Itself 105
8. A Million Dollars to Go away to France 133
9. The Reign of the Bludgeon and of Force 157
10. The Worst and Most Cruel Experiences 177
Notes 201
Bibliography 217
Index 221