A little twist on the words “made in America” can become “made America.” The Smithsonian Institution has 137,000,000 artifacts held by 19 of the museums that make up the Smithsonian. In an article on smithsonian.com, also in the Smithsonian Magazine, 101 objects were identified that made America. Artifacts include the Star Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. A little searching of the 101 objects reveals two wines, made in America.

Vineyard at Stag's Leap Wine Cellar

Think for a moment about our history of wine. What are the two most important wines that would be among the elite list of 101 objects that made America? The wines are in the grouping of artifacts that showcase America in the world. The wines are grouped with the Spirit of St Louis from 1927 (Air and Space Museum), a sign from the television series M*A*S*H (American History Museum), an engraving of Pocahontas (Portrait Gallery), a photo of a Giant Panda (National Zoo), a jersey from the 1980, U.S. Olympic Hockey Team (American History Museum) among others. Then there are the two bottles of wine also in the American History Museum.

The wines that made the list of 101 Objects that Made America include the Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena and the Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars that put Napa, California and the United States on the map as a producer of world-class wines. These two wines shocked the French at the 1976 Judgement of Paris, where two California wines beat out all the French competition in the white and red categories. Winemaker Warren Winiarski crafted the Cabernet Sauvignon at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in 1973. Mike Grgich was the winemaker at Chateau Montelena who crafted the winning white Chardonnay. The chardonnay may be better known due to the movie Bottle Shock, however the role of Mike Grgich was not emphasized in the movie.

When we reflect on the history of American wine, it was the Judgement of Paris in 1976 that put American wine on the lips of consumers around the world. Patrons in restaurants across America began asking for the winning wines, and restaurants soon had to reach out to the California wineries and inquire about the wines. prior to this event there were not many California wines on wine lists that were dominated by French and other European wines. Things have changed. Those wines should be highlighted in the collection 101 Objects that Made America.

Cheers,
Terry