The Accidental Wine Educator

Over the last 50 years, America has become the world’s leading wine consumer. Kevin Zraly has had a lot to do with that.

The history of wine in the United States owes a lot to something of a happy accident.

In 1970, Craig Claiborne, then the restaurant critic of The New York Times, was driving from upstate New York back to the city when he stopped at Depuy Canal House Tavern, a restaurant in High Falls, N.Y., in the Hudson Valley.

He was so impressed with the place that he awarded it four stars, his highest rating, rarely bestowed and almost never outside New York City. The review appeared on March 6, 1970, under the immortal headline “Restaurant Merits Three-Hour Drive.”