As we approach July 4th, Westgarth Wines reviews modern American history and presents 15 iconic national moments with insights into great wine happenings of the same years and eras. Some of the historical events are controversial, others make us proud, but they all have a place in the making of America.

Starting with the beginning of America’s modern era, the core tenets of the formal Declaration of Independence against British rule were expressed in (wine connoisseur) Thomas Jefferson’s words: “All men are created equal.” This philosophy was to gradually filter through all sectors of the American population. Independence officially came in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris and the withdrawal of British soldiers from American soil.

To explore what was happening in the world of wine during these years, we only have to cast our eyes over the tables of the delegates who signed the manifesto between July 4th and August 2nd and who celebrated with independence. With revolutionary military leader and America’s first President, George Washington, an admirer of fortified wines (especially Madeira), it’s likely a glass or two was enjoyed by all on that occasion! France provided the colonies with support in their struggle, and, while the founding fathers were leading the revolution, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti had just undergone a name change when Prince Louis François de Bourbon-Conti added his moniker. During France’s own 1789 uprising, this legendary estate was seized and auctioned.

Driven largely by different views on slavery, Civil War broke out between the North and South. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation, leading to the abolishment of slavery with the 13th Amendment in 1865. This laid the foundations for a more equal nation.

These pivotal events in the United States took place just a few years after the famous 1855 Bordeaux Classification. This hierarchy established the official 1st to 5th cru ranking of Left Bank Bordeaux châteaux, a system of prestige and value that persists today. On a more sober note, just after the end of the American Civil War, European vineyards would be devastated by the notorious phylloxera pest.

Following decades of suffragist struggle, women were granted the vote in the 19th Amendment, marking a new era of gender equality in America.

The situation was not so rosy for hospitality: The Volstead Act was initiated. This act enforced Prohibition, making all alcohol except religious, medicinal, and limited quantities of homemade wine illegal under a decree that lasted until 1933. The philosophy behind the laws was that alcohol was the root of much depravity, but its banning backfired with a flourishing black market and associated violence. The American wine industry would take decades to recover from this era, but it did (as we shall see)!

This New York neighborhood saw an explosion of African-American culture, challenging stereotypes about this segment of society. Jazz and blues musicians like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, “Empress of the Blues”, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and iconic writer James Baldwin all enjoyed firm connections to the district at different times during their careers.

While music, art, literature, and thought thrived in Harlem, the vineyards of Northern France were still recovering from the damage of WW1 (1914-1918). Also in France, the highly esteemed wine publication, La Revue du Vin de France, was founded in 1927.

October 19th, 1929 brought the infamous Black Tuesday when the stock exchange collapsed. While the crash itself took place over only a few days, the economic consequences lasted for around a decade. This forced the US government to intervene with social security programs, preparing the ground for the extant modern welfare state.

On a lighter note, in the wider wine world, the French appellation system was evolving. Established in 1935, the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) laid down quality standards we enjoy to this day.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom. Hollywood was fast becoming the global epicenter with stars like Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and Marilyn Monroe entering the nation’s cultural iconography. The 1950s saw the arrival of a new explosive form of music: Rock n’ Roll. Musicians like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard transformed the music scene, marking a distinct generational shift that hadn’t been experienced so radically before, in the process.

In the world of stills and sparklings, one Claus J. Riedel was about to revolutionize wine stemware. In 1958, he unveiled the large-bowled, tulip-shaped, Burgundy Grand Cru glass. This design, devised to enhance the aromas and mouth of Pinot Noir, won a gold medal at Brussels Expo that same year. In the following decade, it was introduced to the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.

After the devastating Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941, the United States entered WW2 with the Pacific a demanding battle arena. The ferocity of endless fighting ultimately led the American military to drop the world’s first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th,1945. Military chiefs were convinced it was the only way of bringing the war to an end, and it did – but ethical debate remains to this day. The war ended, the nuclear age arrived, the Cold War followed, and the United States emerged from WWII as a global superpower.

With a more uplifting tone, the ideal growing conditions of 1945 resulted in a legendary Bordeaux vintage. Wines with great complexity and aging potential were typical of 1945, a year that continues to be quoted as one of the region’s best. Houses like Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux, and Château Mouton Rothschild (promoted to Premiers Crus Classé status in 1973 in part because of its 1945s) produced some of their finest wines. This year is often called “The Victory Vintage” for its associations with war triumph and peace.

Civil Rights Movement, Baptist minister, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his seminal “I have a dream speech” on August 28th during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. King peacefully demanded African-American equality, the end of segregation, non-violence, and hope. The event marked a pivotal chapter in American history, with equality struggles continuing to this day. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the following year for his work.

Meanwhile, in Italy, vintner and race-horse breeder, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, was patiently perfecting what was to become the iconic Super Tuscan, Sassicaia. Produced at Tenuta San Guido in Bolgheri, Tuscany, its acclaimed debut vintage was a handful of years away in 1968.

America and the world were shocked by the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy on November 22nd, 1963, in Dallas while traveling in a convertible in a motorcade. Kennedy was a popular president who had navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis, supported Civil Rights, and helped lay the foundations for the 1969 Moon Landing. An American icon, conspiracy theories abound about his death.

In California wine country at this time, one Robert Mondavi was honing his craft at the family winery, Charles Krug Winery. This would soon lead to him establishing his own operation, Robert Mondavi Winery, in 1966 in Oakville. His vision would help bring in a new era for Californian winemaking and international recognition for American wine.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” is one of the world’s most famous quotes. NASA fulfilled JFK’s ambition of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed and Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon, followed by fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin (their colleague, Michael Collins remained in orbit and communication with ground control). This feat was a technological triumph and a game changer in the Cold War space race with the Russians.

It was a wine-worthy moment, and Buzz Aldrin indulged while waiting for instructions to leave Apollo 11 for the lunar walk. His motivation was more sacred than celebratory. A devoted Catholic, Aldrin wanted to take Communion on the moon, so he had packed some bread, a chalice, and some wine, which, in the zero-gravity conditions, he later picturesquely described as curling “…slowly and gracefully up the side of the cup." NASA had approved Aldrin’s ceremony but didn’t publicize it at the time. Today, the space organization strictly forbids alcohol for consumption on board its spacecraft.

The infamous political scandal in the early years of the 1970s involved a break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the ensuing attempt at cover-up by the Richard Nixon administration. Its exposure led to his resignation, the only time a U.S. president has left office in such a manner. This landmark event highlighted abuse of power, the strength of investigative journalism, and led to reforms for transparency in high office.

It was a vibrant decade for wine, seeing the founding of influential publications like Decanter and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. In 1976, the “Judgment of Paris” would see Californian wines outperforming French counterparts in a legendary blind tasting, catapulting them onto the world stage. Towards the end of the decade in 1978, the American Viticultural Area (AVA) would be established, marking a new, exciting chapter in the country’s winemaking.

Terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center shook the world and reshaped U.S. foreign and domestic policy, ushering in a new phase of geopolitics.

The American wine community responded immediately, holding numerous charity events and donation drives to support the families of those lost in the attacks. Notable initiatives included Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund for families of lost food‑service staff, and the New York “Grapes of Grief and Gratitude” charity auction that raised millions of dollars for the families of police and fire service personnel.

The nation’s first President with African-American heritage was elected, representing a significant step in racial equality progress. Alongside notable foreign policy actions, on the home front, Obama introduced huge social overhauls in healthcare, same-sex marriage, and clean energy. He and his wife, former First Lady Michelle, remain admired figures today.

A year later, Chinese winery Helan Qingxue produced its 2009 Jia Bei Lan, a Bordeaux-style blend which went on to become the first Chinese wine to win Gold at the esteemed Decanter World Wine Awards in 2011. In food and wine pairing, the molecular approach, where shared food and wine compounds form the basis of ideal matches, rose in popularity. More prosaically, but no less importantly, screw closures gained acceptance as a respectable and practical sealer as premium Australian and New Zealand producers replaced cork with cap (less known is the fact that the screw cap was originally developed in, land of the traditional cork, 1950s France!)

The COVID-19 virus began in late 2019 and spread rapidly around the world in the following year, causing widespread illness and death. This health crisis led to rapid vaccine development, travel bans, and extended lockdowns aimed at containing the spread of the disease. The hospitality industry was badly hit.

It also led to an explosion of inventive thinking as those in the wine trade countered the disruption: the live virtual wine tasting was born! Strictly speaking, the first such reported tasting took place in 1996 when California’s Talley Vineyards conducted an event via live video stream. However, the pandemic ushered in the online tasting as a new sector as wineries, stores, and restaurants mailed curated sample bottle kits to participants who enjoyed sommelier-led Zoom sessions. This created huge opportunities for venues to reach wider audiences, and the drinks sector hasn’t looked back.

Between 2004 and 2016, the world changed as American social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram launched, followed by Chinese TikTok. These sites revolutionized how people connect, share information, and influence trends, transforming politics, social movements, and entertainment. While social media has created unprecedented opportunities for commercial and social activities, with its demanding 24-7 character, the jury is still out about its potentially harmful impact on mental health. Meanwhile, the wine world has also been swept up in the social media revolution with influencers posting huge volumes of content across all of its platforms. This has changed the image of wine from an exclusive luxury product to something shareable, accessible, and fun, and democratized the media surrounding it for consumers.

Here's to another amazing quarter of a millennium America!

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