Bricks of wine
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During the prohibition of alcohol in the U.S. (1920-1933), large numbers of people began making their own alcoholic beverages at home. To do so, they often used bricks of wine, sometimes called blocks of wine.
To meet the booming demand for grape juice, California grape growers increased their acreage about 700% in the first five years of prohibition. The juice was commonly sold as "bricks or blocks of Rhine Wine," "blocks of port," and so on along with a warning: "After dissolving the brick in a gallon of water, do not place the liquid in a jug away in the cupboard for twenty days, because then it would turn into wine" One grape block producer sold nine varieties: Port, Virginia Dare, Muscatel, Angelica, Tokay, Sauteme, Riesling, Claret and Burgundy.
It was legal to produce wine for family consumption in the home. The mayor of New York City even sent instructions on winemaking to his constituents.
