The twenty years following 1830 comprise a period of expansion in
grape-growing unmarked by the introduction of new types or of any new
varieties of particular note. During this time a grape and wine industry
of considerable magnitude was developed about Cincinnati, and the Ohio
River became known as the Rhine of America--a title long since lost and
now applied to the Keuka Lake region in New York. According to
Buchanan,[75] there were 1550 acres of grapes in the Ohio Valley within
twenty miles of Cincinnati; between forty and fifty acres near Hermann,
Missouri; a few vineyards at Belleville, Illinois; and wine was being
made from the Scuppernong grape in North and South Carolina. The
inference from Buchanan is that the above plantations were for the
production of wine; for he specifies that a few vineyards were in
cultivation about New York, Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey,
"but more with a view to supply the market with grapes, than to make
wine."
The last statement is significant for it indicates a change in the grape
industry which really gave life to the viticulture of eastern America.
Until about 1850, grapes were considered valuable and were cultivated
only for wine-making. Previous to this time the literature on the grape
was concerned more with wine-making than with cultivation, varieties or
any other phase of the industry. The American grapes, with few
exceptions, do not make good wines; there were few men in the country
until within recent years who understood wine-making; and the American
people do not take kindly to wines. It was not, therefore, possible to
establish viticulture as an industry of any magnitude in eastern America
when grapes were used for wine alone. It was only when the demand for
table grapes was created and when transportation and market facilities
permitted the supply of the demand that the industry took form and
substance. It is a significant fact that in those regions in the eastern
United States in which grape-growing has been founded and which are
chiefly dependent on wine-making, the industry has not prospered or has
flourished but temporarily.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account