jug wine, term used in california for the most basic sort of wine, an American counterpart to vin ordinaire or plonk. After prohibition was repealed in 1933, most inexpensive California generic table wine was bottled in half-gallon and gallon (1.9- and 3.9-l) glass jugs or flagons with screwcaps to satisfy a demand largely made up of thirsty immigrant labourers from the Mediterranean and eastern Europe. As this market segment has aged and died without direct replacement, jug wines have waned.
