Americans learned how to make wine successfully about two hundred years ago, after failing for more than two hundred years. Thomas Pinney takes an engaging approach to the history of American wine by telling its story through the lives of 13 people who played significant roles in building an industry that now extends to every state. While some names―such as Mondavi and Gallo―will be familiar, others are less well known. These include the wealthy Nicholas Longworth, who produced the first popular American wine; the German immigrant George Husmann, who championed the native Norton grape in Missouri and supplied rootstock to save French vineyards from phylloxera; Frank Schoonmaker, who championed the varietal concept over wines with misleading names; and Maynard Amerine, who helped make UC Davis a world-class winemaking school. “Pinney is a master researcher deeply immersed in the minutiae of the primary-source record, and his prose is lively but, more important, clear-eyed. He has written a book that tracks the tastes of the nation through the people who chased and changed them.” ― Wine Spectator Published On: 2013-01-15 “[Makers of American Wine] is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in wine. . . . Well written and easy to read.” -- George Erdosh ― Portland Book Review (2 Copies) Published On: 2012-08-06 “[Pinney] has succeeded in providing an engaging and well-written account of the very human history of wine in America.” -- Robert C. Fuller Bradley University ― Jrnl Of American History Published On: 2013-01-02 “Thomas Pinney’s engaging style, coupled with his meticulous research, make this a volume to savor and enjoy.” -- Bob Walch ― Salinas Californian Published On: 2012-12-01 "Highly recomended." -- Hudson Cattell ― Wines and Vines Published On: 2012-11-01 "This book is a major contribution to our understanding of wine history." -- Conal Gregory ― The Scotsman Published On: 2012-12-15 "An informative and enjoyable read." ― Santé Published On: 2012-06-01 Praise for Thomas Pinney's A History of Wine in America Exhaustively researched .invaluable to serious scholars of the grape. Fascinating reading. San Francisco Chronicle Revealing a sharp eye for detail and a dry, low-key wit, Pinney writes in an engaging style and with remarkable clarity. Wine Spectator Definitive .an important work of historical literature. Wine & Spirits An indispensable view of a remarkable time. Decanter Praise for Thomas Pinney's A History of Wine in America “Exhaustively researched….invaluable to serious scholars of the grape. Fascinating reading.” ― San Francisco Chronicle “Revealing a sharp eye for detail and a dry, low-key wit, Pinney writes in an engaging style and with remarkable clarity.” ― Wine Spectator “Definitive….an important work of historical literature.” ― Wine & Spirits “An indispensable view of…a remarkable time.” ― Decanter Thomas Pinney is Professor of English, Emeritus, at Pomona College. He is the author or editor of several books including the two-volume A History of Wine in America (UC Press). The second volume of this definitive wine history won the 2006 International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for best book on wine, beer, or spirits. The Makers of American Wine A Record of Two Hundred Years By Thomas Pinney UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Copyright © 2012 The Regents of the University of California All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-520-26953-8 Contents List of Illustrations, ix, Acknowledgments, xi, Introduction, xiii, 1 • John James Dufour, or the Uses of Failure: A Man with a Mission, 1, 2 • Nicholas Longworth: The Necessary Entrepreneur, 22, 3 • George Husmann: A Pure and Lofty Faith, 39, 4 • Charles Kohler: Putting California Wines on the Map, 57, 5 • Andrea Sbarboro: The Italians Are Coming, 75, 6 • Percy T. Morgan and the CWA: Wine as Big Business, 90, 7 • Paul Garrett: American Wine for Americans, 107, 8 • Ernest and Julio Gallo: Creating New Markets, 127, 9 • Frank Schoonmaker: A Master Teacher, 149, 10 • Maynard Amerine: Applied Science, 171, 11 • Konstantin Frank: Zealot at Work, 195, 12 • Robert Mondavi: Aiming for the Top, 215, 13 • Cathy Corison: Women Become Winemakers, 236, Notes, 255, Sources and Works Cited, 289, Index, 301, CHAPTER 1 John James Dufour, or the Uses of Failure A MAN WITH A MISSION THE BRIG SALLY, CAPTAIN MITCHELL COMMANDING, arrived at the port of Philadelphia on August 12, 1796, after an uneventful voyage of sixty days from Le Havre. Among its passengers was a Swiss named Jean Jacques Dufour (John James in his American years), no longer in his first youth—he was then thirty-three years old—and remarkable at first glance only for having a left arm that ended at the elbow, probably a congenital defect. Whether he had any English before he left home is uncertain, but no doubt he had learned some on the voyage to add to his native French. Among the strea