The Desert Wine Guy - Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice And It's Relation To Wine

                                                           
After reading the final draft of this article I came to the conclusion that I needed to start off with what I guess you could call...a small disclaimer. If it seems like I am advertising for Welch's Corporation, I am not. Growing up in New York my family drank Welch's Grape Juice. To be honest, I never even knew there was another name for a grape juice. Today my kids drink it and they happen to be made in bottles that a have similar appearance to wine bottles. This whole idea started when I was sitting at the dinner table one night and stared at the bottle and started to wonder about the grape juice inside (weird I know). Are there real grapes that are used and are they grown like wine grapes? That is when I decided to learn about it myself and write an article. To make things even better, in this day and age to get anything that is simply and pure and is what it says it is is rare. Welch's claims it is 100% grape juice with no added Sugar, color or flavor. I actually think that they deserve credit for producing a healthy product. To make things even greater the grapes are grown in America. To finish this chapter off let me say that I have no connection, nor do I know anyone who works for or has any connection to Welch's Grape Juice. I am not getting any sort of payment or compensation for writing this article nor does the Welch's corporation even know that I am writing this article. I will be sending them a copy of this article however.  Having said all this it is time to get to the main part of this article.

                                                                                               
 While the adults are sitting around this year at the Thanksgiving dinner table drinking some wine or other Alcoholic drink, what are the kids drinking? While some will say water, juice or even soda mine will be drinking what The Desert Wine Guys kids have come to call "kids wine". What exactly is kids wine? Kids wine is actually Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice in what for all intents and purposes is in bottles that are shaped like wine bottles. My children love the feeling of drinking out of a bottle just like me. My children even drink out of real wine glasses and they feel like they are drinking wine like an adult. They do know that their kids wine does not have Alcohol and that's what makes it "kids wine" but they otherwise believe they are drinking wine like The Desert Wine Guy. While they call it "kids wine" it is really only carbonated grape juice and they love it. My children get it poured the same way that wine is supposed to be poured so they learn about wine etiquette and feel like they are a part of the entire Vineyard process. They learn and tell me about the different parts of the wine bottle and glass. They learn the names of these parts as well as how to hold the wine glass and how to place a finger in the "Punt" of the bottle when pouring even though these bottles do not have a "punt". They also know the correct method a waiter should use when pouring wine for customers. In short they learn about wine and the things that go with it. Being that my children drink the stuff and the bottle does say it is 100% real grape juice and being that I write about grapes and what is grape juice but juice from the grapes, the same as wine this is perfect. Well sit back for a few minutes while I tell you all about Welch's Grape Juice.

Young Concord Grape Vine

                       
   Welch's Grape juice comes from the Concord (Niagara for the white juice) grape which was developed in the mid 19th century by Ephraim Wales Bull who lived in Concord, Massachusetts. The story goes that Mr. Bull (Ephraim) was looking for a varietal that was was able to withstand the colder climate of the Northeast. Ephraim used the Vitis Labrusca (Fox) grape which happened to be native to the area. The Concord grape is actually one of the species of the "fox" varietal of grape. Ephraim planted 22,000 seedlings of the Fox grape and after six years he selected a single vine and named it after his home town...you guessed it, Concord. Here are a couple of interesting things about this grape and about the grape juice. This particular grape has what is called a "slip skin" which allows the skin of the grape berries to easily slip off when squeezed, instead of crushing the pulp. The other interesting item is that since it is a real grape and it is a red grape it also contains Polyphenols which, like Red wine grapes also comes from the skin. This is the same Polyhenois that is in real wine that helps our hearts. Welch's Grape juice itself actually started out as Sacramental wine and was first used by Dr. (Dentist) Thomas Branwell Welch who was also a Methodist Minister (as well as a prohibitionist) in Vineland (yes for real) New Jersey. Dr. Welch wanted to come up with a way that grape juice would not become Alcohol so he used pasteurization which killed the yeast. Believe it or not this idea didn't go over to well and some even called it a "heresy". With all the backlash the  died....at least for a while. Along comes Dr. Welch's son, Charles who was also a prohibitionist and Doctor (a Dentist as well) who started advertising the grape juice. In 1893 the juice even appeared at the Worlds Fair in Chicago and people were able to drink samples. In 1896 Welch's Fruit Juice Company became so big they had to move and move they did, to New York. The grape juice also was now being accepted in churches all over. The grape juice became so popular that in 1913 the Secretary Of State Jennings Bryan hosted a dinner for the British Ambassador actually served Welch's grape juice instead of wine. That year Alcohol was also banned from Navy ships. Today the company is said to make a half a billion dollars a year and moved to Concord Massachusetts where they grow cuttings from the original Concord vine.  Let me now discuss some more of what I see are the positives of Welch's Grape Juice.
   My younger children are getting older and more and more involved in what their Dad does concerning the garden and Vineyards.  Last year they helped me dig holes for the vines and put in the guide sticks the young vines grew up on to ensure the trunk was straight. They know where the Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard is and where the Sauvignon Blanc Vineyard is. They know which one makes a red wine and which one makes a white wine. They are now learning about Dormancy since the vines are just now starting to shut down. They will soon learn how to take cuttings of a grapevine and the process involved in that. This coming year they will learn about Lateral growing of the Laterals. They will very soon be learning about Pruning of the vines. The greatest thing is they love the whole aspect of  wine growing. When it comes to the wine making itself, they will eventually be involved with that as well. Being in the garden has helped them stay healthy also. They LOVE Green Peppers and Tomatoes and vegetables in general. Non G.M.O, no pesticides, just fresh food. They get to be outdoors and in the Sun away from the T.V. (Idiot Box). When we are done for the day we head into the pool and cool off and spend time with more Family, Their Mother and older Sister.  Later in the year we get to look at Two beautiful Vineyards and pick Fruits and Vegetables while in the pool. There is no better family time.

Dr. Welch

    I am going to get on my soap box now so please indulge me. I believe that having children accustomed to things removes the mystery or awe about those things and at the same time teaches them respect for those things as well. Teach and show them the good and the bad about these things. By the way the same thing applies to Firearms as well. Teaching them about some of the things that they will be exposed to when they get older and you are not there is  your responsibility as a parent. When they are around Beer or Wine and you are not there it will be no big deal because they are already around it normally anyway. When they get older I see nothing wrong with them having ONE SIP of wine or Beer. Teach them respect for Alcohol in general. Teach them that Alcohol is not something you want them to drink AT ALL when they are out with friends. While you are at it teach them why also. We were all kids at one time and hopefully still know how kids think. You as a parent show them WHY they shouldn't drink at a young age. To be honest I would be perfectly happy if my kids never drank Alcohol. There is really nothing that Alcohol (wine in this case) can give you that eating the actual grapes themselves can't give you, and in larger quantities.

Concord Grapes

                                              



                                                                                                                    The Desert Wine Guy