Los Banos Rotary Club History
Wine Industry Men Are Speakers Here

Bert Gilbert, of the Wine Guilders Association, and Ben Lewis, a director of the wine Institute, both of Fresno, were speakers at both the Rotary and Lions Clubs here this week, explaining the importance of the grape and wine industry to California and extolling the virtues of California wines as an important condiment to California cooking and gracious living.

Gilbert, who only recently came to California from the east, praised the San Joaquin valley as one of the greatest agricultural miracles of all times, in which grapes play an important part. California's fertile vineyards, he said contribute about $100,000,000 annually to the state's farm income and brings jobs and security for tens of thousands of California people in the grape and wine industry.

California, Gilbert said, grows 94 per cent of all grapes, makes 90 percent of all wine and processes 100 per cent of all raisins that are produced and consumed in America.

Commenting briefly on the federal wine tax that was being considered last fall, Gilbert said the proposed $1.50 a gallon tax would have been a near mortal blow to the wine industry and would have forced at least one-fourth of the states 500,000 acres of vineyards to be torn out and planted to other crops.
At the Lions Club the gentlemen also showed an interesting and educational motion picture of the wine industry, showing various steps in the growing and harvesting of grapes and winery processes.

January 11, 1952

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