Page 9 - Demo

List Anumber of years ago, during the 1950s, the
Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board sponsored a radio ad- vertisement touting the
various liquors offered in its Lynchburg store (at the time there was only one). In concluding his pitch, the spokes-
man bragged: “our wines now come in three delicious fla- vors: red, white, and pink.”
Even then, having tasted only communion wine (grape juice, actually), I doubted that
flavors coordinated directly with colors.
At first blush, it would seem we’ve come a long, long way
from the nadir of prohibition in the early twentieth century, when no “colors” were available, and the
naiveté of the 1950s, when only three were offered. Or have we?
Both before and after the Revolu- tion, prices of alcoholic beverages
offered in Virginia taverns were fixed
by authority of the local courts. Com- pared to whiskey, rum, and beer, then as now, wine was something of a luxury. Although several varieties of wine were generally available at the best American tables, notices of what was offered were
Lynchburg’s First Wine List
Courtesy Thomas Jefferson papers,
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia
The Franklin Hotel, highlighted from a portion of Edward Beyer’s 1855 panoramic view of Lynchburg. Located on the western corner of Eleventh and Main streets, it had been renamed The Norvell House shortly before Beyer drew it.
Wine courtesy Steve Feldman, Potomac Wines & Spirits, Washington, D. C.
SPRING/SUMMER 2010 