The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-04-12
WINE UNIT
ARRIVES !!
|ND.C.
Expert Makers Here Early
Prepared to Meet Demands
of Local Patrons.

Wine makers who last year
spent several months in the city
in making large quantities Of
wine for private use in the homes
of their patrons returned to
Washington today.
The unit consists of seven men,
each an expert in his line, who
learned his trade in the vine
yards of Europe. Mike Pasquilla,
dean of the wine makers. who di-
rected operations here last sum-
mer, is again in charge of opera
tons. Mike spent the winter in
New Orleans where, he says, he
made more than 5000 gallons of
wine for private stocks.
Not Violating Law.
1--WE are not violating the Vol
stead act, so far as we can see,"
he said today. "The wine is not
made for sale but for domestic con-
sumption, and is never removed
from the homes of the owners. We
are not bootlegging in any sense,
and refuse to be classed as such.
Not so much as a drop Of the wine
we make is ever taken by us. Our
customers get all we make. We
are simply employed to properly
ho hn 70 a u.
ing, and that is all we do.
There have been many raids in
Washington since was here, but
the newspaper accounts make no
mention of any of the wine stocks
we left last fall being seized. The
owners are not bootlegging-all
they do is to use the wine for
home consumption. They never give
1t to their friends nor will they
sell 1t.
ST want to make it plain that we
do not produce whiskey nor brandy.
We specialize in wine making and
that is as far as we go or win go.
That viii give US all we can do. il
business Is as good as II was q
year ago. I expect it will be better
for / have the names of more than
twenty families who learned Of our
methods and have asked us to see
them. They heard of us from those
for whom we put down wine
stocks"
Use of Wine Growing.
Pasquilla insists that the use Of
wine is steadily growing in Amer
lea, regardless of the Volstead act,
while the use of spurious liquors is
just as steadily. He bases
his statement on his own Observa-
lions, made among clientel, where
formerly whiskey and soda, high
balls and cocktails were popular
beverages.
1T feel sure the American public
will become wine-drinking within
another ten years." said PasQuilla.
1.-THE demand for whiskey and
brandy, gin and rum is less today
than a year ago. / hear bootleg
gers continually complaining. There
are a lot of bootleggers in New
Orleans and. the South and they all
tell the same story. They are SELL
ing more wine than spurious liq-
uors, except to the lower classes,
where cheap corn liquor is in de-
mand.'
The arrival Of the winemakers,
it is said, at this early period is
due to the desire to get themselves
and their equipment ready in time
to take advantage Of the first do
nestle fruit shipments made into
the District.
Pasouilla estimates that the local
wine making will produce approx
imately 200 barrels Of various kinds
of wine, including sherry, port and
champagne. The wine makers
work dependent of distillers, as no
alcohol is required by them. They
expect to remain in the city for
at least three months and return
again about September to lay down
the late summer stock.
Homemade wine, he estimates,
will cost approximately 81 a gal
lon. Bort and sherry, he states.
are the popular wines in the South.