The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years

by Thomas Pinney

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520269538
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	05/07/2012
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	311
Product dimensions:	6.42(w) x 9.06(h) x 1.14(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments

Introduction
1. John James Dufour, or the Uses of Failure: A Man with a Mission
2. Nicholas Longworth: The Necessary Entrepreneur
3. George Husmann: A Pure and Lofty Faith
4. Charles Kohler: Putting California Wines on the Map
5. Andrea Sbarboro: The Italians Are Coming
6. Percy T. Morgan and the CWA: Wine as Big Business
7. Paul Garrett: American Wine for Americans
8. Ernest and Julio Gallo: Creating New Markets
9. Frank Schoonmaker: A Master Teacher
10. Maynard Amerine: Applied Science
11. Konstantin Frank: Zealot at Work
12. Robert Mondavi: Aiming for the Top
13. Cathy Corison: Women Become Winemakers

Notes
Sources and Works Cited
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"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

"[Makers of American Wine] is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in wine. . . . Well written and easy to read."—Portland Book Review (2 Copies)

Editorial Reviews

"An informative and enjoyable read."

Santé

"This book is a major contribution to our understanding of wine history."

The Scotsman - Conal Gregory

"Highly recomended."

Wines and Vines - Hudson Cattell

Thomas Pinney’s engaging style, coupled with his meticulous research, make this a volume to savor and enjoy.

Salinas Californian - Bob Walch

[Makers of American Wine] is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in wine. . . . Well written and easy to read.

Portland Book Review (2 Copies) - George Erdosh

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

[Pinney] has succeeded in providing an engaging and well-written account of the very human history of wine in America.

Jrnl Of American History - Robert C. Fuller Bradley University

"An informative and enjoyable read."

Santé

"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

"[Makers of American Wine] is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in wine. . . . Well written and easy to read."—Portland Book Review (2 Copies)

"[Pinney] has succeeded in providing an engaging and well-written account of the very human history of wine in America."—Jrnl of American History

"Thomas Pinney's engaging style, coupled with his meticulous research, make this a volume to savor and enjoy."—Salinas Californian

From the Publisher