Thank God for wine. No, really! Wine has always played a part in the culture of the church. It’s what Jesus drank at the last supper, priests bless it during Catholic mass, and if you drink enough of it you might start having visions of the divine. But in the early 20th century, this millenia-old church culture was under threat. The temperance movement ushered in an era of prohibition. Wine barrels were cracked open with axes. The streets and sewers ran red, white, and sparkling. And in Southern California, winery owners like Santo Cambianica were given little choice but to shut down. As an Italian immigrant and a Catholic, prohibition wasn’t just a response to the rise of alcoholism, it was an attack on his culture and religion. But a little known exemption in the prohibition laws was about to change that. Instead of shutting down, Santo’s winery boomed. In fact, he did better business during prohibition than before it. All thanks to the holy loophole.

Hosted by Claudia Hanna

Episode Guests:
Santo Riboli (President, San Antonio Winery, Los Angeles, CA)
Father Gregory Elder (Historian and Pastor, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Palm Desert, CA)

Recipe: 
Wine Pairings from Season One
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If This Food Could Talk

APT Podcast Studios

The Holy Loophole: How a California Winery Survived Prohibition

NOV 30, 202331 MIN
If This Food Could Talk

The Holy Loophole: How a California Winery Survived Prohibition

NOV 30, 202331 MIN

Description

Thank God for wine. No, really! Wine has always played a part in the culture of the church. It’s what Jesus drank at the last supper, priests bless it during Catholic mass, and if you drink enough of it you might start having visions of the divine. But in the early 20th century, this millenia-old church culture was under threat. The temperance movement ushered in an era of prohibition. Wine barrels were cracked open with axes. The streets and sewers ran red, white, and sparkling. And in Southern California, winery owners like Santo Cambianica were given little choice but to shut down. As an Italian immigrant and a Catholic, prohibition wasn’t just a response to the rise of alcoholism, it was an attack on his culture and religion. But a little known exemption in the prohibition laws was about to change that. Instead of shutting down, Santo’s winery boomed. In fact, he did better business during prohibition than before it. All thanks to the holy loophole.


Hosted by Claudia Hanna


Episode Guests:

Santo Riboli (President, San Antonio Winery, Los Angeles, CA)

Father Gregory Elder (Historian and Pastor, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Palm Desert, CA)


Recipe:

Wine Pairings from Season One

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices