U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for March 21

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21: AMERICAN WINES

Profile America — Wednesday, March 21st.  Today marks the birthday of one of the major figures of the American wine industry — Julio Gallo.  With his brother Ernest, he started making wine after Prohibition ended in humble surroundings — a rented California warehouse, with equipment bought on credit.  Over the years, the brothers' hard work saw their winery become the largest in the U.S., and their creative marketing techniques helped shape the nation's drinking tastes.  Now, Americans buy $18.5 billion of wine annually.  California vintners produce about 90 percent of the domestic wine sold in the U.S.  Overall, Americans consume an average of 2-1/2 gallons of wine annually.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 179
www.wineinstitute.org
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 211

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau