III

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. RES. 132

Designating the week beginning January 21, 2001, as ‘‘Zinfandel Grape

Appreciation Week’’.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JULY 1, 1999

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mrs. BOXER) submitted the following

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION

Designating the week beginning January 21, 2001, as

‘‘Zinfandel Grape Appreciation Week’’.

Whereas Zinfandel grapes have historical significance among

agricultural products of the United States, in that the

origins of Zinfandel grapes in the United States date

back to the 1830s;

Whereas Zinfandel grape vines are a living link to the time

when gold was discovered in the Sierra Nevada mountains and many people in the United States moved west

to seek their fortunes;

Whereas some Zinfandel grape vines in the Sierra Nevada

foothills are at least 125 years old and still producing

grapes;
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•SRES 132 IS

Whereas Zinfandel grape vines were an integral part of the

Gold Rush of 1849 and the agricultural cultivation of the

West;

Whereas Zinfandel wine is an excellent representative of the

agricultural community of the United States because its

development and production range from the hothouses

and nurseries of New England and Long Island to the

hills and valleys of the Pacific Coast and Southwest;

Whereas Zinfandel grape vines are planted in 14 States and

distributed to every major community in all 50 States,

and have worldwide recognition by scholars, growers, and

consumers as being a quintessential creation of the

United States;

Whereas Zinfandel grape products are used in products as diverse as jams, pasta sauce, and wine;

Whereas the Zinfandel grape, a principal component of an

important agricultural sector in the United States, has

been the leading red grape from the 1880s to the present

in terms of acres planted and wine produced, and is accordingly a crucial part of an industry that, in 1996, produced approximately $41,000,000,000 of direct and indirect economic activity and $3,000,000,000 in State and

local revenue, and provided permanent employment for

554,630 people;

Whereas Zinfandel wine has been winning first prize and

similar recognition in competitions since 1859 against domestic and internationally produced wines, and brings

great credit to the quality of agriculture in the United

States;
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•SRES 132 IS

Whereas Zinfandel vines grown in the United States serve as

the source of vines grown elsewhere in the world and set

the standards for Zinfandel vines worldwide;

Whereas only Zinfandel wine, among the wines of the world,

is recognized as being a product that is uniquely from the

United States;

Whereas the Zinfandel grape is an embodiment of the history

and heritage of the United States, and, in particular, of

the settlement and agricultural cultivation of the West;

and

Whereas for the reasons described above, the Zinfandel grape

is a national treasure: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the Senate—

2 (1) designates the week beginning January 21,

3 2001, as ‘‘Zinfandel Grape Appreciation Week’’; and

4 (2) requests the President to issue a proclama5 tion calling on the people of the United States to

6 celebrate the week with appropriate ceremonies and

7 programs.

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