Alcohol and Drinking History in America: A Chronology

Anti-Alcohol Sentiment Begins to Increase

1980.

• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was established to reduce alcohol-related highway fatalities.² Candy Lightner, who founded the organization, later left the organization when it changed focus. "It has become far more neo-prohibitionist than I ever wanted or envisioned," she said. ²

  "I didn't start MADD to deal with alcohol. I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving." ²

  -Candy Lightner

• Rum outsold vodka and outsold whiskey for the first time since the early 1800s.³
• Interest in single malt whiskey began to increase dramatically.⁴
• A program was begun to control the spread of Sharpshooters in California, a serious pest that infects vines with Pierce’s disease, by releasing their natural enemy into the environment. ⁵

1981.

• The U.S. Supreme Court, in New York State Liquor Authority v. Bellanca, held that states could prohibit the sale of alcohol in premises where topless dancing occurs because states’ rights under the Twenty-First Amendment prevail over the right of free speech under the First Amendment.⁶
• First Great American Beer Festival was held. It became the country’s oldest and largest beer tasting and competition.⁷

1982. “For the first time since prohibition, a brewery is allowed to open that not only sells its' beer at its' own bar on premises, but serves food to boot. In Bert Grant's Yakima Brewing and Malting Co., Inc., the Brew Pub is born.”⁸

1983. The acreage of Cabernet Franc in California tripled between 1983 and 1988.⁹

1984.

• The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 was passed.¹⁰
• In Bacchus Imports, Ltd. v. Dias, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a state tax law in Hawaii that favored alcoholic beverages that were only produced within the state.¹¹

1985. The first Viognier vines (11 acres) were planted in California by Joseph Phelps.¹²

1986.

• On the tenth anniversary of the historic Judgment of Paris wine competition, two replications were conducted with the red wines (it being assumed that the whites would all be past their prime). In both both competitions (the French Culinary Institute and the Wine Spectator blind tastings), the California wines aged better and increased their rankings.¹³
• Kansas voters approved a constitutional amendment permitting the sale of alcoholic beverages by the drink in public places.¹⁴

1987. The U.S. Supreme Court held in South Dakota v. Dole that Congress could use its spending power to regulate indirectly interstate commerce with regard to alcoholic beverages by making highway funding contingent upon a state's acceptance of a minimum legal drinking age of 21.¹⁵

1988.

• A bill was passed in the U.S. requiring a health and safety warning on all alcoholic beverage containers.¹⁶
• The Meritage Alliance was formed by a group of vintners in the U.S. to identify wines that could be labeled as Meritage. A red Meritage can include a blend of two or more of these specific varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot, or Carmenère, with no more than 90% of any one variety. A white must be a blend of at least two of three specific varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon or Muscadelle du Bordelais, with no more than 90% of any one variety.¹⁷

1989. Dr. Stanton Peele published his highly influential book, Diseasing of America: Addiction treatment Out of Control. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1989.

1990s. At the urging of wholesalers, at least ten states, including Florida, Oklahoma, and Indiana passed laws making the direct shipment of alcoholic beverages from other states a crime.¹⁸

1991.

• The U.S.Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 required alcohol testing of safety-sensitive transportation employees in aviation, trucking, railroads, mass transit, pipelines and other transportation industries in the U.S.¹⁹
• The November 17, 1991, edition of the U.S. television program, 60 Minutes, on the French Paradox, popularized the health benefits of drinking red wine in moderation.²⁰ It led to an increase in red wine sales in the U.S. by almost one-third.²¹

1992. The estimated per capita consumption of beer in the U.S. was 22.7 gallons, ranking it 13th in the world.²²

1993. U.S. retail sales of beer topped $45 billion.²³

1994.

• It became no longer illegal to indicate the alcohol content on cans or bottles of beer.²⁴
• Those who attended the convention of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (yes, it’s still active) were told that they should recapture the spirit of Carry A. Nation, the hatchet swinging WCTU member of the early 1900s.²⁵

1995. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Naltrexone for the treatment of alcoholism.²⁶

1996.

• A Rhode Island prohibition against advertising the price of alcoholic beverages was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island as a violation of the First Amendment protection of free speech.²⁷
• “1,102 craft breweries produce 5.3 million barrels; a record 333 new brewpubs and microbreweries open in one year.”²⁸
• A study in San Francisco reported that as many children age 9 to 11 recognized Budweiser’s animated frogs as Bugs Bunny and more than Smokey the Bear and Tony the Tiger.²⁹ However, there is no scientific evidence that the recognition of the frogs or any other alcohol advertising causes people to begin drinking or to drink more.³⁰

1997. The Coalition for Free Trade was established “to legalize direct-to-consumer shipments of wine for out-of-state wineries.”³¹

1998.

• The Road to Recovery survey was published revealing that a substantial proportion of physicians in the U.S. reject the disease theory of alcoholism.³²
• ”Free the Grapes!” was organize by five wine industry associations in the U.S. that seek to remove restrictions in those states that still prohibit consumers from purchasing wines directly from wineries and retailers in any state.³³

1999. A total of 1,147 craft breweries produced 5.8 million barrels as the craft brewing industry began a period of more stable and consistent growth.

2000.

• The U.S. Congress required states to establish a maximum blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for operating motor vehicles of 0.08 (80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood) under penalty of loss of federal highway funds for failure to comply with the directive.³⁴
• “At the urging of wholesalers, Congress passed the 21st Amendment Enforcement Act, which extended to attorneys general the ability to prosecute citizens of other states in federal court for violating state bans against alcohol importation.” ³⁵
• A program was begun by researcher Dr. David Morgan of the Riverside campus of the University of California to control the spread of Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters (Homalodisca coagulata), which spreads Pierce’s disease to grape vines, by releasing into the environment its natural predator (Gonatocerus triguttatus).³⁶

Twenty-First Century

2001.

• A total of 1,458 craft breweries produced 6.3 million barrels of beer worth $3.4 billion and the total value of all beer brewed in the country was $51 billion.³⁷
• The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E. or DARE) program was taught to nearly 40 million students in over 50 countries around the world. A large five-year study of the program was initiated to determine if it was effective in reducing alcohol and drug consumption (it was not).³⁸

2002. The Center for Alcohol Advertising and Youth, a large anti-alcohol advertising activist organization in the U.S., was founded.³⁹

2003.

• Fourteen wineries in Pennsylvania formed the Pennsylvania Premium Wine Group, which created the Pennsylvania Quality Assurance (PQA) certification system. To receive a PQA seal, a wine must be “made to prescribed quality standards as well as be approved by a professional tasting panel.”⁴⁰
• An alleged hangover cure became available under the brand name RU 21.⁴¹

2004.

• The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism released a major position paper to serve as the National Institute of Health’s official position on the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.⁴²
• The film Mondovino criticized the globalization of wine.⁴³
• The popular film Sideways, which included a search for the “perfect” Pinot, was released and stimulated interest in that varietal.⁴⁴

2005.

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Granholm v. Heald that laws in New York State and Michigan that permitted in-state wineries to ship wine to consumers but prohibited out-of-state wineries from doing so are unconstitutional.⁴⁵
• Introduction of machines with which users inhale alcohol vapors mixed with pure oxygen (alcohol without liquid or AWOL machines) led to widespread laws against their use in states across the U.S.⁴⁶
• A physician at Castle Craig Clinic in Scotland said that a new temperance movement is needed and perceived a resurgence of the temperance movement in the U.S. with a growing mood “to reject alcohol” there.⁴⁷

2006.

• The historic 1976 Judgment of Paris blind tasting by leading French experts of top French and California wines revolutionized the world of wine after the best wines in both the red and white categories were from California. However, some experts argued that the French wines would age better, but in the 30th anniversary tastings, conducted on both sides of the Atlantic, California wines dramatically increased their rankings by aging much better.⁵⁰
• The U.S. Congress passed the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act.⁵¹
• Rising levels of alcohol in wine produced around the world led to widespread debate over its cause and implications.⁵²
• Unable to reconcile the fact that a “winery can make wine from their own grapes and sell them on-site to the public, but a distillery making whiskey from its own corn couldn’t,” Virginia eliminated discrimination against distillers. ⁵³

2007. Absinthe again became legal in the U.S. after almost a centurylong ban. It had become illegal because of its supposedly hallucinogenic properties, a belief which appears to have been promoted by French wine producers who faced stiff competition from the increasingly popular beverage.⁵⁴

2008. The largest brewer in the U.S. announced that it would stop producing caffeinated alcoholic beverages under pressure from 11 state attorneys general who believed that it constituted a health hazard.⁵⁵

2009. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) entered into a license agreement to produce a line of non-alcoholic beverages, “MADD Virgin Drinks.” They include virgin cocktails (Mohito, Margarita, and Pina Colada), a virgin Lager & Lime, virgin Red and White, and a virgin sparkling white Wine.⁵⁶

2010.

• The healthful Mediterranean diet, which includes the frequent moderate consumption of alcohol, was recognized as an intangible world cultural heritage (World Heritage) by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).⁵⁷
• WeightWatchers approved alcohol consumption by participants in its weight loss program.⁵⁸

2011. Dr. Morris E. Chafetz, the founding Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, died. He was a leader in the field of alcohol, promoted the moderate consumption of alcohol, and led in the humane treatment of alcoholics.⁵⁹

2012.

• Alcopal, pill that might help intoxicated drivers escape arrest, was advertised and sold in the U.K., causing concern among law enforcement officials, among others. The seller claims that the pill dramatically reduces the amount of alcohol vapor in the breath so that a high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will register very low on an alcohol breath testing machine. Manufactured in India, the pill’s active ingredient is simethicone, which is commonly used to treat digestive discomfort.⁶⁰
• Another study reported added evidence that alcohol consumption is associated with a lower incidence of the common cold.⁶¹

2013.

• The National Transportation Safety Board (NHTSB) recommended that all 50 states in the U.S. adopt a blood-alcohol content (BAC) limit of 0.05 compared to the current limit of 0.08.⁶²
• There were 2,360 craft breweries in operation. Their product has become so popular that they constitute thirty percent of Costco’s beer sales.⁶³
• “If California were a nation, it would be the fourth leading wine-producing country in the world behind France, Italy and Spain.”⁶⁴
• On the the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program and after 30 years of research, there was no scientific evidence that the DARE program reduces the use of alcohol or drugs.⁶⁵
• Many Native American reservations remain "dry" today, including Pine Ridge in South Dakota. However, it lies just one mile from the town of Clay, Nebraska, which has a population of 14 people and four beer stores that sell over four million dollars worth of beer every year. Most customers come from Pine Ridge, just over the state line.⁶⁶

2014. A CNN nation-wide poll of American adults found that 18% believed that the consumption of alcohol should be illegal.⁶⁷ Not even National Prohibition prohibited the consumption of alcohol; it prohibited the manufacture, transportation, importation, exportation, and sale of alcohol, except for religious, medicinal and scientific purposes. For example, those who had stockpiled alcoholic beverages could legally consume them.

2015. A study by economists found that dry counties have more methamphetamine lab seizures per 100,000 residents each year than do wet counties, suggesting that meth production is more common in areas where alcohol sales are banned. They reported that “Local alcohol bans increase the costs of obtaining alcohol, which reduces the relative price of illicit drugs” and that “Additionally, these restrictions flatten the punishment gradient encouraging individuals who are willing to obtain alcohol illegally to also obtain illicit drugs.⁶⁸ 2

2016. Craft brewers produced about one eighth of all beer made in the U.S. However, their beer sold for over one-fifth the value of all beer brewed in the country. ⁶⁹

2017. Vineyards in Europe suffered the worst freezing in decades. On the other hand, vineyards in northern California suffered from raging wildfires. ⁷⁰

2018. French authorities say 66.5 million bottles of counterfeit wine was sold as part of a massive fraud. That’s enough wine to fill over 19 Olympic-size swimming pools. Bottles of cheap wine were given prestigious labels. The fraud was discovered during a tax audit. No one ever reported that their expensive wine tasted like the cheap plonk it really was! ⁷¹