{"id":6797,"date":"2017-02-03T05:03:59","date_gmt":"2017-02-03T12:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brutalhammer.com\/?p=6797"},"modified":"2017-02-03T05:56:23","modified_gmt":"2017-02-03T12:56:23","slug":"killed-by-a-thunderbird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brutalhammer.com\/killed-by-a-thunderbird\/","title":{"rendered":"Killed by a Thunderbird"},"content":{"rendered":"
Gone and almost forgotten is Italian Swiss Colony<\/a> wine company: Once a giant of American wine, now a footnote for hoochstorians. Its historic birthplace, the Asti Winery in California, was recently devoured<\/a> in the all-consuming maw of E & J Gallo — bringing the story of ISC’s decline and fall full circle. <\/p>\n Italian Swiss Colony was so-named because it was in fact founded by Italian and Swiss immigrants. Based in Asti in now-famous Sonoma County, ISC grew from humble beginnings to become the biggest winery in California, and among the best-selling winemakers in the country after Prohibition ended.<\/p>\n In those days ISC cranked out cheap bulk juice for mass consumption. Their mascot was a yodeling, elderly gent in Alpine costume who spouted the catchphrase, “The little old winemaker — me!” The little old winemaker (voiced by actor Jim Backus<\/a>, who also voiced Mr. Magoo) starred in radio and TV commercials<\/a> that aired nationally, spreading the good word about Italian Swiss Colony’s fine products. <\/p>\n Nipping at Italian Swiss Colony’s heels was up-and-comer E & J Gallo Winery of Modesto, California. Ernest Gallo’s stated goal was to turn his brand into the “Campbell Soup company of the wine industry”<\/a> — which necessarily meant the elimination of ISC. In 1952 Ernest actually plotted to buy out his much larger rival, but prudently backed off at the last minute. <\/p>\n Everything changed in 1957 when Gallo rolled out Thunderbird<\/a>, “The American Classic,” granddaddy of the skid row bum wines. Italian Swiss Colony’s feeble response, when it finally came, was a knockoff called Silver Satin, a citrus-flavored white port just like Thunderbird. Silver Satin claimed to be “charcoal filtered” and boasted of being the “Perfect Cocktail Wine.”<\/a> But Silver Satin was no competition for the original, and ISC suddenly had a mortal rival at the top. <\/p>\n Italian Swiss Colony didn’t go down right away. There were other battles ahead: When Gallo launched Boone’s Farm, ISC countered with a “tropical” flavored wine called Bali Hai<\/a> that gained something of a following. But over the years they couldn’t keep pace with Gallo’s Thunderbird-fuelled growth.<\/p>\n