Proclamation 6530

by Bill Clinton

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

The wine industry in this Nation has a heritage dating back to our Founding Fathers. Today it continues as a proud tradition, nurtured by thousands of family-owned farms, in every region of our country. From generation to generation, grape growers have helped sustain and preserve our agricultural resources, keeping 850,000 acres of American land as open space for active agricultural production.

More than 8,000 grape and other fruit growers work together with more than 1,300 wineries to produce 85 percent of all wine consumed in the United States. This $8 billion industry strengthens the American economy by supporting more than 200,000 jobs and contributing $1 billion a year in government taxes and fees.

The history of wine grape growing in the world spans more than 7,000 years. In our own history, wine has continually played an important role in a wide variety of American cultural, religious, and familial traditions. Vineyards and wineries across the Nation are scenic tourist attractions, drawing millions of foreign and American visitors each year.

In gratitude to those who contribute to the high quality of agricultural products produced in the United States, and in recognition of the role of agriculture in our daily life and our life as a Nation, the Congress, by Public Law 102–468, has designated the week of February 21–27, 1993, as "American Wine Appreciation Week" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of February 21–27, 1993, as "American Wine Appreciation Week." I call upon the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of February, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and seventeenth.

William J. Clinton