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Jan 1, 1562
Jacksonville, FL settled
Huguenots established colonies in Jacksonville, Florida... and produced wine using the wild scuppernong grape. (Zraly) -
Scuppernong flourishes
Evidence indicates that there was a flourishing wine industry in 1609 at the site of the early Jamestown settlements. (Zraly) -
John Smith writes on American wine
Captain John Smith of Jamestown, Virginia writes that vines are found in "great abundance" and 20 gallons of wine has been made "which were neare as good as your French British wine" (Cattell) This is not the first written account, however, probably one of the more credible sources. -
First Thanksgiving
The pilgrims of the Mayflower celebrate thanksgiving and it is recorded they "washed down [food] with wine, made of the wild grape, both white and red, which the Pilgrims praised as 'very sweete & strong.' (Cattell) -
William Penn
William Penn planted the first vineyard in Pennsylvania in 1683. (Zraly) They were located in Philadelphia on what is known today as Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park (Cattell). The vinifera here would be ancestors to some of the American-French hybrid grapes commonly used. -
Savannah Georgia Trustee's Garden
Upon the founding of Savannah, Georgia, the people planned a garden that was destined to fail. However, The Trustees' Garden has been called "the first organized experiment station ever," (Pinney) -
The Alexander Grape is discovered
It is found near the site where William Penn's gardner had some cuttings of vinifera, meaning one of the parents was probably a vinifera.(Pinney) This grape was also know as the "Cape Grape" due to Legaux believing his Alexander grapes came from the Cape in Africa. -
First Commercial Vineyard in the US
The first commercial vineyard in the US was established north of Philadelphia at Spring Mill in 1793. Pierre Legaux... established a private stock corporation called the Pennsylvania Vine Company to finance the vineyards in 1802. (Cattell) It was not successful, however it did insight hope in Americans and would provide the source for Cape and Madeira grapes to be used in future vineyards. -
John James Doufor purchases land in Kentucky for "First Vineyard"
Doufor puchases land in Kentucky near Lexington. He purchases many grape varieties, but the two prominent ones are the "Cape Grape": (actually the Alexander grape) and "Madiera" (an unknown white grape) from Legaux. These varieties would flourish in the "Second Vineyard" in Vevay which was in Indiana -
Catawba discovered in NC
Catawba is found growing wild in North Carolina around 1802. This grape would become very popular in the coming years and is still quite popular today. -
German Harmonists move from PA to Indiana
George Rapp and German harmonists move to New Harmony, This made Indiana America's first real center for Wine. -
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Indiana is the home to America's first "Wine region"
Vevay and New Harmony comprised two winemaking communities that were the first "successful" endeavors of this kind in America. -
Bonapartists plant some "Madeira"
In Alabama, some former French soldiers plant several varieties of grape and realize vinifera do not do well in America. -
John Aldum's first vintage
In Georgetown, John Aldum has the first very successful vineyard which has plantings of Cape, Madeira, and "Tokay" (Which was actually catawba. -
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Nicholas Longfellow cultivates Catawba
Longfellow recieves catawba cuttings which grows to a 40-acre planting by 1850. By 1859, over 2,000 acres of catawba had been planted and several wineries had joined longfellows. (Miller) -
Nicholas Longworth recieves Catawba
Nicholas Longworth recieves catawba vines from Aldum and starts plantings in Cincinatti, Ohio. This region would become known as "The Rhineland of America" due to his success. -
Dr. D. N. Norton has first Norton fruit produced
Using an emasculation technique, Dr. Norton creates a vine which bears fruit for fifteen years in a row. (Pinney) -
William Robert Prince Publishes a Treatise on Grapes
Prince, a viticulturalist in NY, publishes "A Treatise on the Vine" which describes 280 types of grapes and may be considered "the first good book on grapes" (Pinney) -
Bostwick plants grapes in Finger Lakes region
A reverand, William Bostwick, plants grapes in the Finger Lakes region of NY for religious purposes and many others would soon follow his example. (Pinney) -
Hermann is settled
Germans migrate to Hermann in Missouri at the advice of Gottfried Duden who writes a book on how wonderful America is and sends it to his homeland of Germany. They eventually plant Isabella (similar to Alexander), Norton, Catawba, and Concord. -
George Husmann arrives in Hermann
George Husmann's parents brought him to Hermann as a ten-year-old in 1838. (Scheef) -
Powdery Mildew reaches Europe
In the 1840s powdery mildew reached Europe, where it did great damage before the discovery that dusting with sulphur controlled it. -
Longworth accidentally makes Sparkling Catawba
Nicholas Longworth makes a "champagne-like" catawba product which is a hit with everyone. It is sent to international competitions and to celebrities for tasting. (Pinney) -
George Husmann plants his first vineyard
George Husmann plants his first vineyard, this man's significant contributions included cultivating the Concord grape in Hermann and developing disease resistant rootstocks at his nursery. (Scheef) He is also well known for sending Jager's rootstocks to Europe and California. -
Hermann Harvest Festival
In tribute to their success in cultivating [grapes], the people of Hermann celebrated by holding their first grape harvest festival in 1848. (Scheef) -
Deleware becomes popular in Ohio
Delaware grape is named for Delaware, Ohio, though it was originally from New Jersey. It's precise origins are still a mystery. (Pinney) -
Ephraim Wales Bull develops concord
In Concord, Massachusetts, Mr. Bull breeds concord grape to beat the killing frosts of the north and have a full flavor. -
Valk introduces Ada
Dr. William Valk shows the American Pomological Society Ada, which is the first American-French hybrid created on purpose. (Pinney) -
Texas is overrun with Mustang Grape
German and French settlers, after trying to us foreign grapes, decide to cultivate the native Mustang grapes found in Texas. -
Ohio was the largest wine producing state in the US
Ohio was the largest wine producing state in the US at 570,000 gallons, which represented more than one-thrid of the national total and more than twice the amount produced in California. (Miller) -
Croton Point sends wines to New York
Robert Under-hill makes Isabella and Catawba wines at his family's vineyard that are sent to market in New York City. -
Hammondsport and Pleasant Valley Wine Company Founded
The ready source of grapes around the Finger Lakes of NY were used to make wines by a group of local growers. They followed Ohio's example and brought in some French winemakers to help make champagne. (Pinney) -
Pleasant Valley becomes known as "Great Western"
At a Boston banquet, the sparkling wines of the Pleasant Valley Company are well recieved as " wine... from the remote reaches of the great West" and PVC starts using "Great Western" on their labels. -
Phylloxera in France
The phylloxera epidemic in France ruins countless vines. (Pinney) -
The Grape Culturalist is Published
The first periodical in America completely devoted to winegrowing was supervised by George Husmann and was printed out of St. Louis. (Pinney) -
Poeschel & Scherer put up main building
Poeschel & Scherer, which would become Stone Hill Winery, puts up it's main building this year and by the 1880's was producing over 1 million gallons. (Pinney) -
Cincinatti vineyards close
Due to mildew and black rot, most of the vineyards around the Ohio river close due to a lack of funds and realizing how difficult it was to grow grapes in that part of the state. -
Charles Riley identifies Phylloxera
Charles Riley, Missouri's first State Entymolygist, identifies Phylloxera and organizes cuttings from George Husmann, Isidor Bush and Hermann Jaeger. -
American "champagne" wins Gold in Europe
"a Great Western champagne from New York State became the first American "champagne to win a gold medal in Europe... at the Vienna Exposition." (Cattell) -
Vienna says Norton is the best
At the 1873 Vienna World Exposition, a Norton wine from the Hermann, Missouri, region was named "Best Red Wine of All Nations," -
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T.V. Munson experiments with breeding in TX
Thomas Volney Muson produces over 300 new varieties of grape, most of which are still available to this day. -
New York State Agricultural Experiment Station Founded
The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) was established by an act of the New York State Legislature..., “for the purpose of promoting agriculture in its various branches by scientific investigation and experiment. (History) -
France honors Jaeger and Munson
For their help with the phylloxera epidemic, Jaeger and T.V. Munson recieve the French Legion of Honor. -
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Temperance movement leads to prohibition
The temperance movement leads to a decline in the wine industry and would ultimately lead to Prohibition -
Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station opens
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New York is second largest wine producer in US
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Prohibition
Prohibition makes alcohol illegal in the US, making wineries impractical. (Miller) -
Finger Lakes Wine Growers Association is formed
Gold Seal, Pleasant Valley, Taylor, and Widmer (the four largest wineries in NY) form the FLWGA. Similar to CA's "Wine Institue" for the advocation of wine. (Pinney) -
Prohibition ends
Prohibition is repealed and alcohol can be sold in the US again. (Miller) -
FERA helps plant muscadine
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration gathers muscadine vines and supplies them to farmers via the Rural Rehabilitation Industry. This initiative failed shortly after its conception and the vines gathered were "sold" to the public instead of "supplied". (Pinney) -
The Liquor Taxing Act becomes law
10 cents per gallon of wine and 20 cents per gallon of fortified wine was collected as tax on the wine industry still recovering from 14 years of prohibition. (Pinney) -
Tax laws halved
The post-prohibition tax law was a "guess in the dark" and only thirty percent of national wine consumption was taxed. To increase the percentage of taxed wines consumed, the taxes were halved to 5 cents on table wine and 10 cents on fortified wine. (Pinney) -
Michigan Wine Law
William Geagly, Chief Chemist of the Michigan State Department of Agriculture, shaped some interasting laws -
Phillip Wagner opens a nursery at Riderwood in 1941
Phillip Wagner is known for advocating French hybrids which were disease resistant, cold hardy, and had superior wine quality (Pinney) -
Wine Confernce of America founded
This confernce intended to integrate all US companies under one cause for wine. It's peak was in 1954 before the group "faded away" (Pinney) -
Mordecai Sands opens Richard's Wine Cellars
In Petersburg Virginia, Sands opens a winery which would produce "Richards Wild Irish Rose", which is still popular today. This winery was part of the Canandaigua Wine campany. -
Konstantin Frank is hired in America
Konstantin Frank is hired by Gold Seal. He would prove to be an invaluable resource to winemakers in the Finger Lakes region. -
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Canandaigua Wine campany buys everything
Canandaigua Wine campany buys enough companies to have the highest wine Capacity in the world. This includes the four largest wineries in the finger lakes, wineries across the US, and at least one winery in Australia. It changes it's name to Constellation Brands in 2000. -
Taylor soars, buys Pleasant Valley Wine Company
The "Great Western" wine is bought by Taylor, who sold near 2.5 million gallons in 1959. (Pinney) -
Konstantin Frank opens winery
Frank conquers the three problems present in NY (Phylloxera, disease, and Cold) with proper rootstocks and pesticides. His first successes are with Riesling and Chardonnay. -
James Held takes over Stone Hill in Missouri
Stone Hill winery, once a promising winery before prohibition, is renewed after it's cellars had been used to grow mushrooms during prohibiton. -
Mississippi ends statewide prohibition
With MS no longer under prohibition, all 50 states, at least to some degree, are no longer dry. -
Lucien Dressel takes over Mount Pleasant Winery
Just as James Held had taken over St. James, Dressel took over Mount Pleasant winery and set it back on a track for success. -
Presque Isle winery opens
Doug Moorehead opens Presque Isle winery, which grows vinifera in New York and makes 97 percent of its profits from equiptment and juice sales (Scheef) -
Cayuga white developed
New York State Experimental Station at Geneva develops Cayuga White (Cattell) -
First American Master Sommelier
Eddie Osterland becomes the first American to reach the rank of Master sommelier. He worked as the Director of Trade Education at the International Wine Center in NYC. -
University of TX starts grape demonstration project
In cooperation with other Texas entities (TX A&M, TX Tech, and The Agricultural Extension service) U of TX plants vinifera grapes in West TX....and they grow! -
First Wineries Unlimited Seminar
The largest trade show in the east, Wineries Unlimited, holds its first convention. (Cattell) -
Coca Cola buys the Taylor wine company
The only surving "Taylor", who's namesake was the Taylor Wine Company, dies in 1976 and the company is sold to Coca Cola who used it as "brand recognition". (Pinney) -
WineAmerica is founded
WineAmerica is founded "to encourage the dynamic growth and development of American wineries and winegrowing through the advancement and advocacy of sound public policy." It was found by the "Association of American Vintners, a trade association of wineries with membership based in the eastern U.S." -
Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station opened
Michigan State University opens their horticultural research station. -
Seagram's owns NY wine
Seagram's buys Taylor from Coca Cola, having already bought Gold Seal in 1979. -
First woman Master Sommelier
Madeline Triffon is the first woman master sommelier and currently works at Plum Market in Michigan. -
French Paradox increases Red Wine consumption
Serge Renaud, a scientist from Bordeaux University in France, coins the term French Paradox. -
Becker Vineyards first Harvest
Richard Becker harvests his first crop at Becker Vineyards in Texas. His wines have recieved many awards and have been served "in the stateliest of settings including the White House and the James Beard House." -
Dr. Vino Blog's first post
Tyler Colman, aka Dr. Vino, is a teacher at NYU and starts one of the highest rated wine blogs, Dr. Vino.
