WineInk: Drink American for Fourth of July
Tubay Yabut/Courtesy photo
Here we are, the day before Independence Day, and many of us are heading to our favorite wine shops to purchase bottles for the celebration of the holiday.
Again, as I have for so many years in this column, I encourage you to consider buying American wines for this most American of all holidays. Not only is it good for our domestic wine producers, but it also makes a statement as a patriotic gesture.
If not now, when?
Wine in the United States has a history that dates well before the Founding Fathers put their quills to the Declaration of Independence we honor this week on the Fourth of July. But it is noted that when the document that still defines our rule of law was signed by the 56 representatives over the summer of 1776 to announce the independence of the colonies, the act was toasted with Madeira, the fortified Portuguese wine. Thomas Jefferson insisted upon it, and George Washington, who would be inaugurated as the first president of the new nation 13 years later, in 1789, supplied the hooch.
Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, both signatories of the Declaration, had a healthy respect — some at the time called it a weakness — for wine. Jefferson, in particular, is well-known for having discovered the joys of French wines from his days spent in Paris as foreign minister. He imported many bottles of fine Bordeaux that he arranged to purchase directly from the houses of Château Lafite, Haut-Brion, and Château d’Yquem. The purchase later became the subject of scandal outlined in the book “The Billionaires Vinegar,” which details the sale of a fake bottle of Jefferson’s wines. It is said that during his presidency, he maintained a cellar under the west wing of the White House dubbed “the ice house,” which could hold up to 20,000 bottles, many from his personal collection of wines.
There are many wines with connections to American history that I would welcome the opportunity to drink on this, the 248th anniversary of Independence as decreed by the founders. But one story resonates with me because it has a patriotic family connection that informs how one of our great American wineries has roots in our long struggle for freedom.
A few years back, I found myself at the Frank Family Vineyards in Calistoga, California. Frank Family has always been one of my favorite wineries in Napa to visit, and I love the wines — especially the chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon made under the auspices of their talented winemaker Todd Graff.
Frank Family was founded by Rich Frank, a former head of Disney Studios, on a historic property he purchased with a big red barn that serves as a signature image for the winery. The winery, on Larkmead Lane, has roots dating back to the 1880s and previously housed the Hanns Kornell Champagne Cellars. Another signature feature is the iconic Historic Stone Larkmead Building which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rich Frank was born in the early days of the Second World War to parents who were first-generation Americans of Lithuanian ancestry. Shortly after his birth, his father, Hy, enlisted in the U.S. Army and was deployed to the European Theater. Eighty years ago this past June, he and his unit landed on Omaha Beach as a part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
Hy drove support vehicles for the First Army and General George S. Patton’s Third Army as the troops moved from town to town liberating the French. At the end of the war, Hy returned to his family in Brooklyn, New York, and founded Heide Meat Company, which he operated successfully for 30 years, providing the means to send his first son, Rich, to the University of Illinois and setting him on his career path.
Rich has always credited his father’s dedication to family and his financial support in helping him, first, to make a career in the entertainment industry and then, in a stunning second act, become a producer of some of Napa Valley’s most iconic wines. To show his appreciation for his father’s contribution there is a room dedicated to Hy Frank at the winery called “The Patriarch Room.” In it are photos and mementos of Hy’s long life (He lived to be 98 years old) and a vertical collection of a premium cabernet sauvignon from the Frank’s Winston Hill vineyard in the Rutherford AVA named “Patriarch” in his honor.
Though I have not tasted the current release, the 2019 vintage of the “Patriarch” is said to be voluptuous, with “beautiful opaque purple color with crème de cassis, black cherry compote, and roasted espresso bean on the nose.” That would be in keeping with the previous vintages of the “Patriarch.”
A wine with a patriot as a patron and an American success story. Oh, and this marks an anniversary of sorts for Frank Family Vineyards. It was on the Fourth of July weekend in 1993 that they first welcomed guests to the estate.
Coincidence? I think not. Have a happy Fourth of July.
Two hikers rescued at Snowmass Lake after attempting Four Pass Loop
Mountain Rescue Aspen rescued two hikers that were stranded after attempting to complete the Four Pass Loop.
