The collection is divided into six series. It includes mostly printed materials and interviews, and dates from approximately 1976 to 2005. There are wine-related event materials, interview transcripts and audiotapes, printed material and histories from people and institutions representing a wide spectrum of the wine business. Wine-related objects, such vineyard and winery tools, are stored with the Museum's artifact collections; documentary materials are held in the Archives Center.
Materials from each special event are organized into separate series, which contain records generated at the events and interviews. Series one contains the "Red, White and American Records," series two the "Collectors Event," and series three the "Wine Writers Event." Interviews conducted independently of these events are included in series four. All of the interviews have been partially transcribed and include an abstract and various forms of audiotapes and discs. Series five is composed of printed materials that relate to both specific individuals in the wine business and to more general American wine topics. Most of this material consists of photocopies of original articles. There are also files with materials by and about specific wine writers, such as Anthony Dias Blue, William Heinz, and Dick Rosano. Series five also contains an original telex of George Taber's article about the 1976 Paris Tasting. Series six consists of visual materials, including two landscape photographs of an vineyard in Oregon and two videotaped documentaries on Napa.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into seven series.
Series 1: Red, White, and American : Wine in American History and Culture Records, 1976-1996
Series 2: Collections Event, 2001
Series 3: Reflections: A Day in the Life of a Wine Writer Event, 2002
Series 4: Interviews, 1997-2001
Series 5: Printed Materials, 1997-2001
Series 6: Visual Materials, undated
Series 7; Interviews, 2013
Biographical / Historical:
The American Wine History Project began in 1996 with the intention to document the history of American winemaking, mainly for the post-1950 period. While the project includes winemaking areas around the country, the focus has been on northern and central California. The Project explores the convergence of craft, culture, science, technology, and the environment in modern American winemaking. In conjunction with the project, the Smithsonian held a 2-day symposium, "Red, White and American," with a small accompanying exhibition, entitled, "Doubtless as Good: Jefferson's Dream for American Wine Fulfilled," in 1996 and began gathering objects and other documentation.
Since 1997, National Museum of American History staff members have traveled to California to conduct interviews, take photographs and video footage, and gather materials for the Smithsonian collection from grape growers, winemakers, winery owners, and others important to the business, including wine writers and chefs. Some of the materials were generated from events in Napa, such as the collectors and wine writers events, that were held specifically for the purpose of adding documentation to the Smithsonian project. The documentation project is on-going so materials will continue to be added to the collection.
Provenance:
Some of the materials were generated by the Smithsonian Institution, such as those in series 1 through 3. Others were given by separate donors between 1996 and 2002.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 5
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 7, Item OTC 817.26
Type:
Archival materials
Audio
Date:
1996-05-10-1996-05-11
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Extent:
2 Copies (derivative objects)
Container:
Box 1, Folder 5, Item 817.1
Type:
Archival materials
Copies (derivative objects)
Date:
2001 March 30
Scope and Contents:
This interview with five of the ten collectors present at the event was conducted by Smithsonian's National Museum of American History staff Rayna Green and John Fleckner on March 30, 2001. (2 of 2) Partial transcription and abstract by Cindy Ott.
Abstract
Over the weekend of March 30-31, 2001 the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars organized a wine tasting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the "Paris Tasting," in which American wines stunningly upstaged European vintages in a blind tasting by experts in the field. Participants of the 2001 event included some of the top American wine collectors. Coming from a broad range of professions, including dentistry, international business, and the movie industry, the group was brought together by their passion for wines and their reputation as collectors. The ten individuals were selected by Dennis Foley, participant and wine auctioneer, who stated that he chose people he knew who lived in different parts of the country.
Among the myriad of weekend activities, which included the tasting of contemporary wines donated by producers as well as wines from the "classic" period in California winemaking, dating from1933 to1985, donated by the collectors themselves, were interviews conducted by Smithsonian staff. They form a part of the National Museum of American History's project to document the history and culture of American wine. The interviews were held at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus at St. Helena, California in Napa Valley, the site of most of the weekend activities. The collectors were divided into two groups of five. This group included the collectors Stephen Kaplan, Frank Komorowski, Ron Light, George Linton, and Stan Winston. Ron Kuhn, who participated in the event as a winning bidder of the SLWC lot at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction, sat in on the first part of the discussion. A short biography of each participant is provided in one of the event booklets that form part of this sub-collection. The fact that only men were among the collectors is a reflection of the nature of the business, which is currently almost solely a male domain. Smithsonian curator Rayna Green and archivist John Fleckner led these interviews.
The discussions, spurred by questions posed by the Smithsonian staff, centered around the origins, intentions and styles of the participants' wine collections and collecting habits. Topics addressed include forms of documentation used to track their holdings, acquisition and storage methods, and the most significant bottles in their collections. The groups also raised issues relating more broadly to the wine industry, including the influence of wine critics (which one participant refers to as "wine critic's fascism"), the importance of wine's heritage and history, the effects of re-corking older wines, the social and gender aspects of wine collecting, the impact of terroirs, the differences between old and current wines (especially in regard to the New World "fruit bombs"), and the relationship between American wines and national identity. The conversations provide insights into patterns of American consumerism, recreation, and product marketing.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
2002-05-24-2002-05-26
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Extent:
2 Copies
Container:
Box 8, Item OT (DAT) 817.2
Type:
Archival materials
Audio
Copies
Date:
March 28, 2001
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 5, Item RTC 817.5-4
Type:
Archival materials
Audio
Date:
2001-03-27
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 6
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Date:
undated
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 7, Item OTC 817.24
Type:
Archival materials
Audio
Date:
1996-05-10-1996-05-11
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
2001-03-30
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 8, Item OT 817.9-1 - 2
Box 10, Folder 8
Type:
Archival materials
Audio
Date:
2001-03-30
Scope and Contents:
Interviews conducted by National Museum of American History staff Paula Johnson and Nanci Edwards.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
2002 May 24-25
Scope and Contents:
This series contains printed materials and interviews created at "Reflections: A Day in the Life of a Wine Writer," a two-day event held in Napa, California on May 24-24, 2002. The event included dinners, tastings, and interviews with the wine writer Anthony Dias Blue and the chef Gary Danko (who prepared one of the meals), and the winemakers Danny Schuster and Warren Winiarski. Interviews were conducted by the Smithsonian's American Wine History Project staff. The series is divided into four subseries. Subseries 3.1 consists of printed materials, including two menus, a tasting booklet with lists of wines, and a souvenir booklet with an overview of the event and biographical essays on the participants. Subseries 3.2 includes the abbreviated transcripts and abstracts of the three interviews. Subseries 3.3 contains the original DAT recordings. Subseries 3.4 contains the reference cassette tapes.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
2002-05-24-2002-05-26
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 13
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
2002-03-28
Scope and Contents:
Vineyard Manager, Ridge Vineyards, Cupertino, California. Interview was conducted on March 28, 2001, by Nanci Edwards, John Fleckner, Rayna Green, and Paula Johnson for the American Wine and Food History Project, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Abstract and transcription by Cindy Ott.
The interview took place on the grounds of the Lytton Springs vineyard outside Healdsburg, in Sonoma County, California. A strong wind sometimes obscures the recording. Nearby construction on the winery, including heavy machinery operations, also are heard. A video recording was done for portions of the interview. None of the interview questions are included in the interview notes below. Brackets indicate transcriber's paraphrasing. One original 60-minute cassette; side B partially recorded.
Abstract
David S. Gates, Jr. was trained in vineyard management at the University of California, Davis. Before he arrived at Ridge in 1989, he worked for a vineyard management company in Napa Valley. In the interview, Gates described grape production, including the forms of work and the obstacles to be overcome to produce successful harvests year after year. He discussed the differences between grape varieties (including Petit Sirah, Zinfandel, and Cabernet), and the treatment and temperament of old and new plants. Because Lytton Springs vineyard is located both in the Santa Cruz Mountains and lowlands, he addressed the interrelationships between different microclimates and soils, unpredictable weather, and the vines. He also described techniques and theories relating to pruning, to the pros and cons of manual labor vs. mechanization, and to the difficult decision of when to harvest. "Basically," he said, "it's trying to steer an even course between the extremes of weather and trying to make the grapes behave enough so that they can get ripe and taste good."
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 8, Item OT (DAT) 817.7
Type:
Archival materials
Audio
Date:
1997-09-07
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
