Fruit Industries, Ltd. was a non-profit, co-operative agricultural association organized in 1929 with the merger of several winemaking concerns, including the California Wine Association, into a single organization in an effort to bring order to the then chaotic California grape industry.
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The Wine History Project Collection contains several rare Prohibition and Post-Prohibition Era tools.
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1144 Pine Street, located on the southeast corner of Pine at 12th Street, has been many things over the years. It is currently an Italian restaurant and formerly home to Villa Creek. Further back in time, to the year 1887 to be exact, the property housed The Wine House and Billiard Hall, owned and operated by E.J. Carpeaux.
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The bar-mounting corkscrew is a fascinating tool that had multiple upgrades with many patents in its evolvement. A general description would say that the clamps hold the bottle in place and the helix, in one up and down motion, extracts the cork from the bottle. They are screwed or clamped to the counter. Most early mounted corkscrews were designed to open beer bottles with short corks. Modern ones are made for longer wine corks.
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Where once plants were a negative competition for the vines, many growers are now more aware of creating an ecosystem in their vineyards that is the foundation for a holistic approach. Because of the healthy ecosystem, it seems that bees are now encouraged to come and feed on the pollen. The discovery has been that bees encourage beneficial insects and discourage the need for chemicals and pesticides. This is a dramatic shift.
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