United States of America Flashcards
(16 cards)
Which species of wild grapevines were native to North America when Europeans arrived?
Vitis labrusca, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis aestivalis
Why did European colonists dislike wines made from native North American grapes, and what did they try to do instead?
They disliked the wines’ inherently foxy odors and tried planting imported Vitis vinifera vines
What law regarding vine planting was enacted in Virginia in 1619, and where?
In Jamestown, Virginia, a law required every male colonist to plant and tend at least 10 vines
Why did early attempts to grow Vitis vinifera on the East Coast fail?
The vines succumbed to unfamiliar vine diseases and the phylloxera pest
After failed attempts at winemaking, what alcoholic beverages became popular in the British American colonies, and when?
Cider, beer, and whiskey became popular by the 18th century
Which Founding Father was a passionate supporter of fine wine, and where was he during the opening of the Constitutional Convention in 1787?
Thomas Jefferson, who lingered in the Médoc (Bordeaux) on business during the Convention’s opening in Philadelphia
How did Thomas Jefferson view wine, and what was his goal for viticulture in America?
Jefferson saw wine as a mark of genteel society and “the only antidote to the bane of whiskey.” He wanted the U.S. to produce its own fine wine to promote self-sufficiency
What was the result of Jefferson’s and George Washington’s attempts to grow vinifera grapes in Virginia?
They failed; over 30 years of vineyard cultivation produced not a single bottle of wine
Since domestic winemaking failed, what types of wines did the Founding Fathers drink?
They drank imported wines like Madeira, Sherry, and wines of France
Where in North America were vinifera grapes successfully grown during the same period as the Founding Fathers’ failures?
Spanish settlers beyond the western frontier, in areas like present-day Texas, New Mexico, and California
What grape variety was introduced by the Spanish in North America, and how did it spread?
The Mission grape, introduced to Mexico in the early 1500s, spread northward to the Rio Grande settlements by 1629, and then to California by Franciscan monks
When and where was California’s first wine produced?
In 1783 at the San Juan Capistrano Mission by Franciscan monks
What was the last Franciscan mission built in California, and what is located there today?
The San Francisco de Solano Mission (1823), now Sonoma’s town square
Who was the first American settler in Napa Valley, and what did he contribute to its wine history?
George Yount, who arrived in 1839 and planted Napa Valley’s first vineyard
Who was Agoston Haraszthy, and what did he establish in California?
A Hungarian-born self-styled “Count,” he founded Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma in 1849, one of California’s oldest commercial wineries.
Why is Agoston Haraszthy often called the “father of California wine”?
He introduced over 300 grape varieties to California from his European travels. He is often credited with introducing Zinfandel to USA but claims have been disproven.
