[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 132 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 132

 Designating the week beginning January 21, 2001, as ``Zinfandel Grape 
                          Appreciation Week''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 1, 1999

  Mrs. Feinstein (for herself and Mrs. Boxer) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Designating the week beginning January 21, 2001, as ``Zinfandel Grape 
                          Appreciation Week''.

Whereas Zinfandel grapes have historical significance among agricultural 
        products of the United States, in that the origins of Zinfandel grapes 
        in the United States date back to the 1830s;
Whereas Zinfandel grape vines are a living link to the time when gold was 
        discovered in the Sierra Nevada mountains and many people in the United 
        States moved west to seek their fortunes;
Whereas some Zinfandel grape vines in the Sierra Nevada foothills are at least 
        125 years old and still producing grapes;
Whereas Zinfandel grape vines were an integral part of the Gold Rush of 1849 and 
        the agricultural cultivation of the West;
Whereas Zinfandel wine is an excellent representative of the agricultural 
        community of the United States because its development and production 
        range from the hothouses and nurseries of New England and Long Island to 
        the hills and valleys of the Pacific Coast and Southwest;
Whereas Zinfandel grape vines are planted in 14 States and distributed to every 
        major community in all 50 States, and have worldwide recognition by 
        scholars, growers, and consumers as being a quintessential creation of 
        the United States;
Whereas Zinfandel grape products are used in products as diverse as jams, pasta 
        sauce, and wine;
Whereas the Zinfandel grape, a principal component of an important agricultural 
        sector in the United States, has been the leading red grape from the 
        1880s to the present in terms of acres planted and wine produced, and is 
        accordingly a crucial part of an industry that, in 1996, produced 
        approximately $41,000,000,000 of direct and indirect economic activity 
        and $3,000,000,000 in State and local revenue, and provided permanent 
        employment for 554,630 people;
Whereas Zinfandel wine has been winning first prize and similar recognition in 
        competitions since 1859 against domestic and internationally produced 
        wines, and brings great credit to the quality of agriculture in the 
        United States;
Whereas Zinfandel vines grown in the United States serve as the source of vines 
        grown elsewhere in the world and set the standards for Zinfandel vines 
        worldwide;
Whereas only Zinfandel wine, among the wines of the world, is recognized as 
        being a product that is uniquely from the United States;
Whereas the Zinfandel grape is an embodiment of the history and heritage of the 
        United States, and, in particular, of the settlement and agricultural 
        cultivation of the West; and
Whereas for the reasons described above, the Zinfandel grape is a national 
        treasure: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates the week beginning January 21, 2001, as 
        ``Zinfandel Grape Appreciation Week''; and
            (2) requests the President to issue a proclamation calling 
        on the people of the United States to celebrate the week with 
        appropriate ceremonies and programs.
                                 <all>