For the ‘enterprising’, a law like the Prohibition Act, is a challenge and a road to wealth. On the other side, if the Act had been written to the level of the most zealous in the ‘Temperance Movement’, it could not have passed. We, of the 2000s, forget how freedom-minded our ancestors were (before the Depression)!
I think there was a loophole in the law that allowed one to make like 200 gallons for home use during prohibition. I know there was some kind on loop hole because my grandfather made his wine during prohibition, as he did before and after.
Great article! Thanks for posting.
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The Volstead Act also stipulated that the grape growers themselves could make juice and juice concentrate only if those products were used for non-alcoholic consumption. So the vineyards could still make non-alcoholic wine and that wine could theoretically be turned into alcohol by consumers as long as the winemakers gave clear warning that this was illegal, and they had no knowledge of the end consumersā intentions. With these loopholes in place, the creation of āwine bricksā and, in turn, the ability for U.S. citizens to continue consuming wine came to be.
If it was determined that someone instead used those grapes to make booze, and the vineyard owner who sold the individual the grapes was aware of this, both the grape grower and the winemaker could find themselves in jail.
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Some things never change, including the draconian punishments for small infractions meted out by power hungry governments.
“Wine Bricks”
Grape Bricks
Ha good thinking.