This week, Ira spoke with Victor W. Geraci, author of "The War on Wine: Prohibition, Neoprohibition, and American Culture (University of Nevada Press)." In this vino episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Victor talks about his family’s long history with wine and vineyards; why the wine industry couldn’t develop in America for the first 200 years; why Americans turned to distilled spirits before a wine culture developed; how California be-came the epicenter of the wine culture; why John DeLuca (president and chief executive officer of the Wine Institute from 1975 to 2003) inspired him to write the book; how DeLuca tried to give that trade organization a moral imperative and led the fight to make wine a beverage of moderation; the importance of Leon Adams; the politics of wine; what the war on wine symbolized; the most surprising thing he discovered in his research; and the danger of corporate greed making wine just another alcoholic beverage.
