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Ratio of spending on wine by consumers in Blue states to those in Red states. Curious about whether or not Americans’ politics affected their purchasing, wine blogger, and amateur pollster, Chris Bitter (Vintage Economics) analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and found that households in states that traditionally vote Democratic spend an estimated average of $274 on wine per year—nearly double the $142 spent in traditionally Republican states.

In revenue, what was the leading food crop in the Napa Valley after World War II?

A. Eggs

B. Beef

C. Grapes

D. Prunes

According to statistics compiled by the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner, the leading food product in the Napa Valley in 1945 was prunes with a value of $3,622,000. Although Prohibition had ended in 1933, by 1945 grapes ($2,600,000) still trailed prunes by a million dollars. And eggs ($2,553,750) weren’t far behind.

“As surprising as it may seem, wines are like fabrics with multiple and diverse physical aspects that may be pleasant or horrifying. There are smooth wines and rough wines, supple wines and stiff wines, harsh wines and velvety wines. As with fabrics, these impressions stem from their physical constitution.”

—Pierre Poupon,
French wine writer, in his book Plaisirs de la Dégustation

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