It was said they made T-Bird a flat bottle in case it was dropped, and it didn't break lordie lordie, that it wouldn't roll away from the you. Haha
Up to 20 years of age my family was involved in the wine industry... Wine grapes and wineries... My cousins are still in it... Very boring stuff at the time... You would throw around wineries like kids trade trading card!! Still this way...You buy 20 acres in the Napa Valley. You get 80-90% of the grape juice from other dealers (cheap junky stuff). You build a beautiful tasting room and storage facility and you're in business!! Find some artsy-fartsy label... Learn the language...Dry with a hint of herbaceous, tannic. You are off and running...
Were they in during the White Zinfandel craze? Sutter creating the most popular wine by accepting is a cool story.
Yeah...We were there. But you don't see the gritty side of the industry... It was/is cut throat... You don't see the farmer deal with the labor crews...Strikes (while the grapes are rotting on the vines). You don't see the labor camps... The knife fights on Saturday nights...Over a prostitute!! The rain in coming (mold and mildew) while you are waiting for your sugar content needing to rise... You don't see whole loads get rejected from the wineries!! Where do you put that load?? Sell it for juice that goes into Thunderbird... Be there for harvest (unless you're dead), to make sure you get the product to market... I won't even get into the other issues; equipment breaking down, buying new equipment, frost/hail wiping out a whole crop in a few hours, too much rain/too little rain, so much rain you can't get into the field to work it or harvest it. Comparison...It has the glamor of a major league umpire. You're in the middle of it, and you get to see everything...But the grind takes it's toll.