The Posters (Part 6)

Controversy

In 1992, prohibitionist sentiments were making the news. Led by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) people were calling for bars to close earlier, restricting alcohol at public events, raising the drinking age from 18 to 21, and lowering BAC levels for what qualifies as drunk driving. I was certainly opposed to drunk driving, but these people had taken things too far. A poster idea popped into my head. I pitched it to Jim Bundschu, but he felt it was too controversial for Gundlach Bundschu, so I went ahead with it as a Cutler Cellar Poster.

This is the poster that sits on my office wall and finally got me to start writing again. My landlord, Bob Bonino is in the left fore-corner. Dr. Wayne Price sits to his left. The lady with her back to us is Rena Lehnert of the Cherry Tree Juice stand. To her left Edward “Ski” Krensjewski. Ski was a legend in Sonoma. Bartender at the old El Dorado Hotel, Ski served Ernest and Julio Gallo when they made their annual trips to Sonoma. He was exclusive bartender for all of Hap Arnold’s private parties, and one of the genuinely exceptional story tellers ever. Claude Berthoud is my defense attorney. Good friend Herb Lane sits asleep in the audience section. Dennis Patterson, the gentleman who printed all our posters, takes notes near the American flag. (Only Dennis and I remain alive today.)

The poster depicts a courtroom scene. A group of elderly, hostile judicial types question me. I am defended by my unflappable attorney, Claude Berthoud. The caption reads, “Are you now, or have you ever drunk a bottle of wine? The answer is “Absolutely, and I’ll name names.”

It was a great, fun-filled shoot with lots of energy and good humor. After the shoot, I took the cast out for lunch at the Depot Hotel Restaurant. It turned into one of those unforgettable afternoons. We had plenty of Chef Mike Ghilarducci’s great food and sucked down several bottles of fine wine. There was laughter and good cheer. One of Claude’s lines became an anthem for the afternoon. When we ordered the second bottle of wine early in the afternoon, Claude said, “Just two bottles a day, that’s all we ask.”

We roared. Every time we ordered another bottle we would all say “Just two bottles a day . . .” By the end of the meal, we could order a bottle of wine by just saying, “Two.” We all went home, but another poster idea was festering in my mind.

A few months later, Gundlach Bundschu hosted a luncheon for 150 locals in the Community Center. We explained we were enlisting them as models for a new poster and marched them to Sonoma’s historic City Hall for a photo. Zak was at his best, exhorting us in his overly exuberant way. All the people held bottles of wine. Our kids were there dressed for Little League or dance recital. People were shouting “Two!” and waving their arms, holding up two fingers. The caption for the poster read “Just two bottles a day, that’s all we ask.”

It was great fun, involved a huge part of the community, and for weeks people commented on how much they had enjoyed the afternoon. We couldn’t wait to distribute the poster so our friends and neighbors could have a copy.

On October 9, 1992, the Sonoma Police Professionals Association issued a letter. This letter was sent to the media, to City Hall and to various regulatory agencies. The letter said, in part:

“Should city property and young children be used to advertise the use of alcoholic beverages? We have seen a very disturbing poster, which does this very thing. Is this what we want our children to believe? Every day, we see the tragic results of the abuses of drugs and alcohol in our city and our society. We support the educational efforts by schools and other agencies in an effort to inform our children of the horrible dangers of overindulgence in the consumption of alcohol. Do we want our children to see us standing on the balcony of City Hall with jugs of wine trying to tell everyone it is OK to overindulge?”

On October 16, 1992, Tim Tesconi published a front page story for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. The story included a picture of the poster and reported that Donald Rowe, president of the Association was asking that the posters be destroyed.

Representing the winery, Jim Bundschu said that he couldn’t believe anyone would take the poster seriously. He said the poster was a joke. “Don’t people read political cartoons in newspapers?”

Monday, October 19, 1992. Again, the poster finds its way into the press, this time in a story in The Wall Street Journal that discusses the clash of wineries and government over health claims attributed to drinking wine. It quotes Jim Bundschu as saying he believes the industry should let the entire health issue fall by the wayside. Jim said, “To promote wine as healthful or detract from it because it’s unhealthy misses the point. Wine is good for the human spirit and the soul . . . now let them take that away.”

Tuesday, October 20, 1992. Sonoma’s local paper, the Index Tribune, comes out with a front page story. Again, the poster is printed. Now, Association representatives claim that groups such as MADD and Social Advocates for Youth are applauding the Association’s stand. Bundschu requested that no one in the winery make any statements to the press except him. He says he doesn’t want to make a big issue out of this, because it is a local brouhaha, and he thinks it best not to split the community.

Wine writer Jerry Mead and others are writing to support the winery. Supporters point out that less than 2 percent of drunk drivers nationally are arrested under the influence of wine, and the incidence of drunk driving in Wine Country is no greater than in other areas of comparable population density. Gundlach Bundschu receives a few very antagonistic calls, but the majority support the winery and “just don’t understand all the fuss.”

My immediate reaction was to make a couple of new posters. One would depict the Bundschu clan dressed like 1920s gangsters in front of a wall of our wine. In their arms are giant corkscrews, held like tommy guns. The caption reads, “Come and get us, coppers.”

The other poster idea was to reconvene the same 150 people in front of City Hall. This time each would raise just a single middle digit, and the caption would read, “Okay, just one bottle a day.”

Instead of posters, I ended up writing a long explanation of how this all came about. It ended with this, “For those of us in the wine business, wine is our life. Our lives proceed one vintage at a time. You can tell when our children were born by looking in our wine cellars. We mark their births by harvest conditions: Jack was born in ’89, the vintage from hell; Jill was born in ’85, a perfect growing season. We track the notable events in their lives through the growing season: he started school when we had that incredible frost in the ‘90s; she starred in the school play when we had early bud break in ’87.

“For those of us who make wine, it is impossible to separate our lives from our produce, because when we drink the wine we make, it starts memories of our very lives flowing through our veins.

“When the government tells me I’ve got to put warning labels on my wine, I comply and counter with a humorous poster. When people tell me that wine at my table is a sure sign that I am an alcoholic, I laugh and go about my business. But when my children come home from school to report their teacher says wine is a drug like cocaine or heroin, then I am righteous in my indignation, because the very survival of my family is at stake.

“For the past several years, those of us who enjoy wine have been under attack. We conceived the poster as a humorous way of defending ourselves and reminding all of us how much we love wine and appreciate the life it provides each and every one of us.

“I sincerely apologize to anyone who participated in this project for any pain or embarrassment caused by the reaction to this poster, but if doubts cross your mind for even a second, just look at the poster and think back to that day. You will smile remembering the excitement of your children and grin at the poses of your dogs. You’ll enjoy seeing your friends and neighbors, and you’ll remember the sense of fun and community we shared. Finally, you’ll laugh at the thought that anyone could take this seriously.

“Sonoma was the birthplace of wine in California. The vineyards around us are our last line of defense against runaway growth. Winemaking stands at the heart of the Sonoma lifestyle and economy. The Sonoma way of life is a gift, directly attributable to winemaking and grape growing. It is a gift those of us in the industry gladly share with everyone.

“All we ask is that they understand from whence the gift comes. It is no less than our very lives and the lives of our children. That’s the magic in the bottle. That’s the treasure we hope to share.”

The poster series happened close to 40 years ago, but most of it is lost to history. I thought it was important to document how the posters came to pass, acknowledge the people who participated, and share the good humor and sense of joy that infused the project. Every poster idea surfaced from our lives making wine in Sonoma Valley. All the models were our neighbors and friends. It was a time before cell phones and the internet. The photos were shot by a talented photographer using a real camera filled with actual film. Photo proofs were printed, pictures got selected, and we developed the prints in a dark room.

Lately, after recently being locked into my home because of COVID, listening to resurfacing prohibitionists talk about how bad wine is for you, seeing grapes go unpicked, and watching vineyards being ripped out, I could use a funny poster right about now. I always thought laughing in the face of adversity was a healthy response. Couple that with friends, a bottle of wine, and a delicious meal and I think we will have a chance of getting through these dark times unscathed.