Vino Ventures

Spoiler alert: This is an unusually long post about American wine dedicated to readers who are wine lovers and history buffs as well as U.S. travelers. The story may not resonate with purists who assert that wine can only be made from grapes, Vitis Vinifera or otherwise.

This is my final post on Vino Ventures. See my farewell message here.

In 2018, wine produced in U.S. states other than California, Washington, or Oregon was a hot topic. Most major wine publications, both traditional print and digital platforms, were writing about wineries in Michigan, Virginia, New York, Texas, and even Minnesota. Several books were published encouraging travelers to hit the wine trails designed for tourists. It looked to be a fast-growing trend. At least I thought so.

With a motivating pang of deep interest, I decided to go down an historical rabbit hole to research the original commercial wineries in all 50 states. My plan was to post a story about each state on my blog, and then write a book called “Aging Gracefully: America’s First Wineries.” I worked on it off-and-on for several years, posting eight stories. But during the pandemic, media interest quickly waned on the topic.

Now it’s 2025. Some of the original commercial wineries have closed since 2018, so I want to give them credit here. Where possible, I will provide a “second place” alternative for curious tourists.

Because I’ve decided to conclude my Vino Ventures blog, it seemed fitting — at least for my own satisfaction — to close out a joyful chapter of writing about wine with the fruits of my research. I didn’t mean for this to be a history or treatise on Prohibition, but if I could pick any one contextual factor that shaped the wine industry in America, that’s it. Where that matters, I’ve noted (dis)honorable mention.

I hope you enjoy this important story. (Sorry, no photos, just text.) Pick an era. Pick a state. Enjoy a new experience.

And who knows. Maybe that book will emerge some day!

Aging Gracefully

An individual, couple, or family is responsible for starting a sustainable commercial winery in all 50 states. It is a remarkable and entirely American story of the determination, resilience, entrepreneurship, and pure grit of early settlers and modern-day winegrowers, in many cases working against climate and legal context. Before Prohibition, most American wine entrepreneurs were immigrant farmers from France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. During and after Prohibition is different story.

If you have occasion to visit any of these historically important wineries in your journeys across the United States, all of which are verified to still be in operation, please click on the link for each winery embedded in the description.

This 225-year history can be divided into seven waves:

• Early Influencers (1774-1863)
• Early Adopters: Start – Stop – Restart (1841-1894 and 1949-2002)
• Prohibition Pivoters: Surviving the Temperance Movement (1839-88)
• Post-Prohibition Trailblazers (1933-56)
• Trendsetters and Accelerators (1973-83)
• The Flywheel Effect (1969-88)
• Rounding Third and Heading for Home (1991-2017)

Early Influencers (1774 – 1863)

The story of American wine would not be complete without honorable mention for former President Thomas Jefferson. Determined to grow the varieties of Eurpean grapes that made his beloved fine French wines, Jefferson imported vine cuttings to Monticello in 1774. Long story short, the vines never survived the boggy growing conditions in Virginia. Two centuries later, in 1985, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation decided to try Jefferson’s plan with moderate success. (See also the Virginia story.)

Another important influencer was Frenchman Pierre Legaux who started the Pennsylvania Vine Company in 1786 in Spring Mill. He pioneered two innovations that fueled the commercial wine industry: growing vines for sale and creating a subscription model of financing operations. His is considered to be the nation’s first commercial vineyard (but not first winery).

As the fourth largest commercial wine producer in the world today, California could easily claim victory as number one in the nation’s history of wineries. However, the truth lies in Kentucky.

Jean-Jacques Dufour was a Swiss immigrant trained in winegrowing who purchased vine cuttings from Pierre Legaux. Dufour made his way to the edge of American civilization along the Kentucky River (across from Ohio) and established in 1799 what he called Kentucky’s First Vineyard. He was a crowdsourcing pioneer, borrowing lessons from Pierre Legaux by selling shares using a legislative device called the Kentucky Vineyard Society. In 1804, along with other family members who had emigrated to America, he started vineyards in Vevay, Indiana, which was fondly called “New Switzerland” (and is now officially Switzerland County, Indiana).

Kentucky’s First Vineyard closed in 1809 after a hard freeze devastated all of the vines. The property was purchased in 1994 by Tom Beall and Bobbye Carpenter who were not aware of its vineyard provenance. After researching the property’s history, the couple set about bring the winery back to life and reopened in 2012 as First Vineyard Winery.

Another important story of early commercial industry influencers is Nicholas Longworth of Ohio. Originally from New Jersey, Longworth moved to Cincinnati in 1787 to practice law. He decided to plant wine grapes on what is now known as the Mount Adams neighborhood. He planted Alexander (Cape) and Isabella grapes in 1823, followed by Catawba grapes in 1830. Both were sourced from another American vine pioneer, Major John Adlum from Pennsylvania. In a happy accident much like the mythical story of Dom Perignon, Longworth discovered that the Catawba grape made delicious and popular sparkling wine. He set off a Catawba sparkling wine craze in the U.S. and Europe from 1840-1865 which put his commercial winery on the map. By 1860, Ohio supplied 1/3 of American wine (both still and sparkling). Longworth died in 1863, which ended his important journey and winery.

For further reading on Nicholas Longworth and Cincinnati wine: Woellert, Dann. Cincinnati Wine: An Effervescent History. The History Press, 2021.

Early Adopters | Start – Stop – Restart (1841-94 and 1949-2011)

Wisconsin | Wollersheim Winery, Distillery & Bistro (1841 and 1972)
Wisconsin has a long history of winemaking. In the early 1840s, a Hungarian immigrant named Agoston Haraszthy established a vineyard, winery, and wine cellars overlooking the Wisconsin River in Sauk City. (Haraszthy soon moved on to follow the Gold Rush and established some of the first successful vineyards in Sonoma, California.) The many German settlers who came to Wisconsin in the 1800s also brought winemaking skills, producing versions of traditional German wines as well as new varieties of North America’s native grapes. Those early winemakers found that growing traditional European grapes in Wisconsin would be a difficult endeavor. Eventually, Wisconsin winemakers learned to cultivate several cold-hardy varieties of grapes that are well-suited to the Wisconsin climate.

The winery started by Haraszthy was taken over by German immigrant Peter Kehl in the 1850s. His son Jacob assumed operation of the winery until 1899 when Jacob, the vineyard, and thus the winery, died. In the 20th century, interest in Wisconsin winegrowing started up again, in large measure due to the work of Elmer Swenson at the University of Minnesota to research and cultivate hardy hybrids. His story (and other wine pioneers in the Midwest) is told so well in a fabulous documentary called Wine Diamonds.

Although the von Stiehl Winery was technically Wisconsin’s first licensed winery, it did not survive. Wollersheim Winery was established in 1972 by namesake Bob and his wife JoAnn who purchased the land originally farmed by Agoston Haraszthy from Peter Kehl’s great-grandson, and has been continuously operating since then. The family legacy continues with Bob and JoAnn’s oldest daughter Julie and her husband, Philippe Coquard, who has been Wollersheim’s winemaker since 1985.

Missouri | Stone Hill Winery (1847 and 1965)
Established in 1847, Stone Hill grew to become the second largest Pre-Prohibition winery in the United States. Stone Hill’s labyrinth of arched underground cellars was the largest in North America. Stone Hill wines were world renowned, winning gold medals in eight world fairs including Vienna in 1873 and Philadelphia in 1876. By the end of the 1870’s, the winery was shipping 1,250,000 gallons of wine per year.

Prohibition interrupted and destroyed Missouri’s momentum in the industry.  Stone Hill’s underground cellars were sidelined into harvesting mushrooms until 1965 when Jim and Betty Held bought the winery. Along with their young children, the Helds restored the historic buildings and cellars which had fallen into disrepair, and helped rebuild a wine industry in Hermann, MO.  Today Stone Hill’s yearly production is approximately 300,000 gallons of wine.  Norton, which is Missouri’s official state grape –- a big, full-bodied red –- is the flagship wine of Stone Hill.  The winery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For further reading on Missouri wine: Graveman, Diana. Missouri Wine Country: St. Charles to Hermann. Acadia Publishing, 2010.

Kentucky | Baker-Bird Winery and B. Bird Distillery (1850s and 2011)
The Baker Winery, as it was originally known, is a rival for the honor of “first winery” with Dufour’s Kentucky First Winery. Although the exact date of origin is not confirmed, the winery was established some time in the early 1850s.

It is of equal interest that its story of origin lies in distilling spirits. (Can you say Kentucky Bourbon?) The distiller John Baker — whose real German name was Johannes Becker — had distilled spirits in Pennsylvania during the Whiskey Rebellion. He continued to distill spirits after moving to Augusta, Kentucky, in 1797 when he also planted a vineyard. It was John’s grandson, Abraham Baker Jr., who built the wine cellar in the 1950s, also claiming (in competition for the honor with Stone Hill in Missouri) to be the largest and oldest cellar in America.

During the Bakers’ time of ownership, many wineries cropped up in the Augusta area. By some accounts, in the 1860s half the wine consumed in the United States was produced in Augusta. (See also Nicholas Longworth from Ohio, claiming to produce 1/3 of the country’s wine in the 1850s.) But as the mid-1800s turned the clock into the 20th century, winegrowers struggled to find labor, and Kentucky’s weather was fickle. Farmers grubbed up vineyards and raised lucrative tobacco instead. 

An investment banker by day, Dinah Bird purchased the winery in 2011 and renamed it Baker-Bird Winery. She sources grapes from Kentucky farmers who have returned former tobacco fields to grapevines. The small-production winery makes 500 cases per year. B. Bird Distillery was launched in 2018 with Johannes Becker’s old recipe. Five barrels of bourbon are produced each year.

California | Buena Vista (1857 and 1949)
Much as been written about California’s wine history, and so it will not be repeated here. For those interested in knowing more about it, I have provided a bibliography at the end of this post.

Buena Vista in Sonoma Valley was California’s first premium winery. Established in 1857 by the colorful Agoston Haraszthy after he left Wisconsin, the self-proclaimed “count of Buena Vista” was an international pioneer who had emigrated from Hungary in 1842 looking for “purple gold.” He died an unfortunate death in 1869 while traveling in Nicaragua. Buena Vista languished and ceased to exist by 1878 when the Buena Vista Cultural Society auctioned off the property to Robert and Kate Johnson. The couple built a mansion, let the vineyards lie fallow, and later donated the house to the Catholic Church to be repurposed as a hospital. That plan never materialized, so the property was abandoned for two decades.

In 1943, the property was purchased by Frank and Antonia Bartholomew. Once they realized the historic significance of the former vineyard, they set about replanting vineyards and opened a new winery in 1949 with its first Post-Prohibition vintage overseen by legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff. Since 2011, the property has been owned by Jean-Charles Boiset as part of Boiset Family Estates. The property’s revival speaks to the spirit of its past and its future.

For further reading on Buena Vista Winery: Charles L. Sullivan. Sonoma Wine and the Story of Buena Vista. Wine Appreciation Guild, 2013.

Alabama | Alabama Fruitgrowers & Winery Association (1894), Perdido Vineyards (1979), and Fruithurst Winery (2007)
The history of Alabama wineries started in 1894 when the Alabama Fruitgrowers & Winery Association was created by northerners and European immigrants who populated a small town then known as Zidonia. They bought land, imported people to live and work, and started businesses basically creating a burgeoning new community renamed Fruithurst. The town boomed, and many wineries were created, all of which folded in 1919 because of Prohibition.

The Fruithurst Winery was resurrected in 2007 by cousins Josh and Dylan Laminack, with Dylan as winemaker. They grow red and white Muscadine grapes on 26 acres, and also make wine from a variety of fruits such as blackberries and strawberries. (Muscadine belongs to the vitis genus, but is not a vinifera species.)

In the meantime, Perdido Vineyards was founded as the first Post-Prohibition winery in Alabama, and the first winery to benefit from the 1979 Alabama Native Farm Winery Act. Owners Jim and Marianne Eddins’ wines are made exclusively from several varieties of Muscadine grapes grown on their 50-acre farm.

For further reading on Alabama wine: Mary Stanton, “Fruithurst: The Alabama Wine Country,” Alabama Heritage. University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. No. 92, Spring 2009.

Prohibition Pivoters: Surviving the Temperance Movement (1839-88)

New York | Brotherhood Winery (1839)
Brotherhood Winery proudly proclaims that it is America’s oldest continuously operating winery (continuous being the key point here). New York’s Hudson River Valley has been called the birthplace of American viticulture (although the three pioneering Midwestern states of Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri might beg to differ). Brotherhood’s story is an interesting saga of family, corporate, and investor ownership, and of surviving Prohibition, over a period of 185 years.

Founder John Jacques was born in New Jersey in 1790. He moved to New York and started out planting grapes in 1824, selling the juice to churches for communion. In 1839, he built an underground wine cellar and started the commercial winery, initially called Blooming Grove in homage to the town that supported his several businesses.

As the winery grew, Jacques brought his three sons into the business: Oren, John Jr., and Charles. He officially turned the winery over to them in 1858, and the sons changed the name to Jacques Brothers. By 1885, both Oren and John Jr. had passed away. As Charles struggled to maintain the winery on his own, he decided to sell the winery and vineyards. In 1886, the business was sold to New York wine merchants Jesse M. Emerson Sr. and his son Edward R. Emerson.

The Emersons owned the business they renamed Brotherhood Winery from 1886 until 1920. Incorporated in 1894, Brotherhood received federal designation as a bonded winery. During that time, the winery expanded to meet growing demand for domestic wine. Along came Prohibition, and Emerson began making plans to discontinue operations. However, Louis L. Farrell, who was then a director on the board, recognized that the sacramental wine business had grown and that continuing to make sacramental wines was permitted by Prohibition law. Together Emerson and Farrell applied for a new corporate entity and license under the Volstead Act. Both were granted just eight days before national enactment of Prohibition. As a result, Brotherhood could not only continue operation making sacramental wines, but could also sell for medicial purposes the several hundred bottles of sparkling wine sitting in their cellars. That was one of three exceptions in the Volstead Act. (The third exception was producing alcohol for industrial purposes.)

Brotherhood resumed wine production after the repeal of Prohibition, weathering the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II. Louis Farrell Jr. became president of the Brotherhood Corporation in 1947 after the death of his father. The Farrell family, including Louis’ cousins, continued to own the winery until 1987. Eloise Farrell became the first woman president of Brotherhood Winery in 1974. Her daughter Anne took over as executive vice president, making Brotherhood the only winery in American run by women.

A recession in the 1980s once again put Brotherhood on the brink of failure. Prospects for recovery were dim. The Farrells sold the winery to a consortium of five local business partners in 1987, and winemaker Cesar Baeza returned to Brotherhood for a second stint. The new partnership focused on developing premium wines to compete with California. Their partnership continued through 2005, including weathering a major fire in 1999. In 2005, the Castro, Chadwick, and Baeza families formed a new partnership to upgrade the winery’s facilities and expand the business. Castro and Chadwick are from Chile. Baeza exited the partnership in 2012 to form his own consulting company, but the South American consortium still owns Brotherhood Winery today and has expanded the corporation’s portfolio to import Chilean wines.

For more about Brotherhood Winery: The Story of Brotherhood, America’s Oldest Winery. By Robert Bedford. Flint Mine Press, 2014.

Illinois | Baxter’s Vineyard & Winery (1857)
The first record of winemaking in Illinois dates back to 1691 in an area just north of what is now Peoria. Frenchmen Tonti and Francois Daupin de LaForest build a fort in the area, and records show that the village surrounding the fort contained a winepress.

The number of vineyards and wineries increased rapidly throughout Illinois in the 1850s. According to “A History of Winemaking in America,” there were vineyards and wineries throughout Illinois. In 1857, Emile Baxter, his wife Annette, and their three sons opened a winery in Nauvoo, IL, along the banks of the Mississippi River. They called the new winery E. Baxter & Sons.

Baxter’s Vineyards remains Illinois’ oldest operating winery and is run by a fifth generation of Baxters, Kelly and Brenda Logan. The Logans changed the name to Baxter’s Vineyards in 1987. Brenda is winemaker and GM, while Kelly manages the vineyards. Other family members — sisters, children, nieces, and nephews — have joined the business.

For further reading on Illinois wine: Orban, Clara. Illinois Wines & Wineries: The Essential Guide. Southern Illinois University Press, 2014.

New Jersey Renault Winery (1864)
Renault Winery is the second oldest continuously operating winery in the United States. For most of its 160 years of operation, it has been owned by corporate entities and is today a major hospitality attraction in New Jersey.

Born in Mareuil-sur-Ay (France), Louis Nicholas Renault was the master vintner for ancient Champagne house Duke of Montibello in Rheims before setting out for California in 1855 to escape the phylloxera epidemic devastating European vines. Unfortunately, California was also experiencing the same crushing epidemic. In the meantime, he had heard about a pest and disease resistant east-coast grape called Baco Noir, and headed to New Jersey where he found the climate and soil to be similar to France.

By 1870, Renault Winery was the largest distributor of sparkling wine in the U.S. Louis Renault died in 1913, by which time his son Felix and John D’Agostino had joined the winery. Like other continuously operating wineries, Renault survived Prohibition by producing Renault Wine & Tonics for religious and medicinal purposes.

The winery has remained in operation throughout a series of family and corporate ownership situations and financial ups-and-downs. In 1968, the winery was purchased by Universal Foods. In a succession of ownership arrangements, Universal Foods sold to MCC Presidential in 1974, who sold to Joseph and Geraldine Milza in 1977 (adding hospitality features to the winery). In 2015, OceanFirst Bank bought the Milzas out of bankruptcy. Without much success in restoring profitability, OceanFirst sold the property out of foreclosure to real estate investment firm Accountable Equity .

In 2018, Accountable Equity CEO Josh McCallen caught the fever of restoring the property’s stature and created VIVÂMEE Signature Collection to operate Renault Winery. Today the hospitality property includes 55 acres of grapes, a hotel (Tuscany House), and an 18-hole championship golf course.

Arkansas | Post Familie Vineyards & Winery and Wiederkehr Wine Cellars (1880)
In Arkansas, two wineries tie for first place in 1880. Commercial winemaking started in the 1870s when German and Swiss settlers came to Altus, AR, — the unofficial capital of winemaking in Arkansas — and found the climate to be hospitable for growing grapes. There are reports of winemakers in and around Little Rock as early as 1827, but these other fledgling wineries were not commercially successful.

Post Familie Vineyards & Winery (now also called Post Winery)
Jacob Post was the great-grandfather of this branch of the Post family who made wine along with his wife, Anna. Initially, the family made wine from wild grapes and other fruits and berries before acquiring grape cuttings from regional nurseries. Jacob’s daughter-in-law, Katherine, who was married to his son, James, was sent to jail (briefly) for making and selling wine during Prohibition.

After Prohibition was lifted, Katherine Post secured bonded winery number BW11 for Post Familie Vineyards and operated it until 1943, when she and others in Altus formed the Altus Cooperative Winery. Katherine Post’s husband James took over the co-op and started the present Post Winery keeping the same bonded winery number. He and his children were involved in the winery until he was killed in an accident in 1951. The winery was taken over in 1953 by their son, Matt Post. Matt and his wife, Betty, raised twelve children, eight of whom work in the winery. Paul Post, whose wife Veronica is the mayor of Altus, is currently president of the winery. Sixth generation members of the Post family are also involved in various aspects of the winery operation.

Wiederkehr Wine Cellars
This winery was founded in 1880 by Johann Adreas Wiederkehr, an immigrant from Switzerland who settled in Altus, AR, on the southern slopes of the Ozark Mountains. Like many others before him, Johann found the growing conditions similar to his own homeland and ideal for wine grapes. Upon arrival in Altus, Wiederkehr built a wine cellar into the hillside of his farm. He soon found himself making wine for other people in the area. Wild fruit and blackberries provided the fruit for the first wines. Johann soon planted a small vineyard and did some testing with different grapes to find a better wine grape. He received a patent for his Campbell Early mutation grape.

Johann taught his son, Herman “J. B.” Wiederkehr, to carry on the winemaking tradition. Two of Herman’s sons, Leo and Alcuin, built the small family winery into the largest in the Southwest by the mid-1980s. Since 2018, fourth generation Dennis Wiederkehr has served as CEO and president of the winery, and is a 23-year veteran of the company. The winery also includes a restaurant.

Texas Val Verde (1883)
Wines have been produced in Texas since the mid-1600s when missionaries first planted vineyards in the El Paso area to supply sacramental wines. Texas is a big state, and getting to be an even bigger wine producer — 5th largest in the United States — albeit mostly in a concentrated area of the high plains “hill country” in and around Fredericksburg.

The Texas wine boom first got started in the 1970s and has spread throughout the state to encompass over 9,300 acres of vines. The first commercial winery in Texas, however, was founded in 1883 in Del Rio along the state’s border with Mexico.

Val Verde Winery was founded by Italian immigrant Frank Qualia and his wife Maria who brought his family’s winemaking tradition to Del Rio. He grew Lenoir grapes which thrived in the hot Southwest sunshine. (Frank might be surprised that today vitis vinifera grapes grow equally well, although he most likely would not have been familiar with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir when he came to America.)

Frank died in 1936 and passed the winery to his son Louis, who ran the winery until he was succeeded by his son Thomas in 1973. Today the winery is operated by fourth generation Michael Qualia. Michael’s wife LeAnn and daughter Paige are also involved in the winery, with great prospects for 5th generation leadership. The cellar and tasting room are both located in the original adobe building from 1883.

For further reading on Texas wine: Crain, Katherine and Neil. The History of Texas Wine: from Spanish Roots to Rising Star. American Palate, a division of The History Press, 2013.

Ohio | Heineman’s Winery (1888)
It wasn’t long after Nicholas Longworth ended his storied career launching Ohio’s first commercial winery that Heineman’s Winery got started on Put-In_Bay island in Lake Erie near Sandusky and the Cedar Point amusement park.

The winery was founded in 1888 by Gustav Heineman, an immigrant from Baden, Germany, which is one of the important German grape growing regions. The Lake Erie Islands were already noted for quality grapes as a result of ideal soil conditions and the long growing season due to the tempering effect of the lake. By 1900, Heineman’s was joined by 16 other wineries on Put-in-Bay.

Prohibition proved catastrophic to the Island’s grape and wine industry: most wineries failed and vineyards fell into disrepair. Heineman’s survived Prohibition under the leadership of Gustav’s son, Norman, by selling unfermented grape juice and starting a mini-tourism program providing taxi cab service to the winery and selling tours of the Winery’s caves. A unique feature of Heineman’s Winery is called Crystal Cave. Discovered by workers in 1897 while digging a well for the winery, Crystal Cave is the world’s largest geode. The walls of this cave are covered in strontium sulfate, a blueish mineral called celestite. Crystals range from 8 to 18 inches long.

Gustav was suceeded by his son Norman, grandson Louie, great-grandson Edward, and now great-great-grandson Dustin.

The two major varieties grown by Heineman’s are Catawba and Concord, but Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc (among many others) are also grown. In all, the winery produces 20 different wines.

Post-Prohibition Trailblazers (1933-56)

Prohibition was repealed in December 1933 with passage of the 21st amendment, but then a series of world events put a significant damper on the idea of starting a new winery: the Great Depression (1929-41), World War II (1939-45), the “baby boom” starting in post-war 1946, the Korean War (1950-53), and the post-war industrial boom (1950-73).

The only way to enter an agricultural business at that time was to inherit a farm! Slowly new entrants emerged in the commercial winery business. Only five wineries founded during this timeframe are still in business today:

Michigan | St. Julian Winery & Distillery (1921 in Canada, 1923 in the U.S.)
Michigan is rapidly becoming a major wine-producing state. With four certified viticultural areas, and over 170 wineries, “Pure Michigan” has added wineries to a long list of reasons to visit the state.

In 1921, Italian immigrant Mariano Meconi founded The Border City Winery in Ontario, Canada. (Note that the winery claims 1921 as its founding year.) After Prohibition was repealead, Mariano moved to Detroit (in 1923) with the business and named it the Meconi Wine Company. In 1936, Meconi moved to Paw Paw, MI, and changed the name to the Italian Wine Co. The name that has stood the test of time is the one Marconi selected because it is the patron saint of his Italian home town: St. Julian.

St. Julian Winery & Distillery has been owned and operated by the same family for four generations. Apollo II and Dario Braganini serve as president and director of out-of-state distribution, respectively, for St. Julian. As a 4th generation leader, Apollo succeeded his father, John, who served as president from 2016-2022 and is now chairman of the winery. John was the fifth family member to run the winery after his brother David passed away suddenly.

St. Julian started making spirits in 1998. The distillery produces vodka, rum, brandy, gin, agave tequila, and whiskey. 

For further reading on Michigan wine: Hathaway, Lorri and Sharon Kegerreis. The History of Michigan Wines. Charleston: American Palate (a division of The History Press), 2010.

Oregon | Honeywood Winery (1933)
Although Oregonians were producing wine as early as 1847 — even before Oregon became the 33rd state in 1859 — the modern era of winemaking in Oregon didn’t get started until 1960. Oregon’s oldest estate winery, HillCrest Vineyard, launched in 1961.

In 2001, Willamette Valley became only the second wine area (after Napa Valley) to be designated a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) modeled after the European structure. Today Oregon has more than 1,100 wineries and 40,000 acres of land under vine. Is is the third largest wine-producing state, after California and Washington.

Despite the challenges of starting a new winery in the early years following repeal of Prohibition, Honeywood Winery became Oregon’s oldest continuously operating winery and its first urban winery in 1933. Ron Honeyman and John Wood were the founders. As the story goes, they stood in line to get a license to operate (Bond #26) the day after Prohibition was repealed. The winery was originally called Columbia Distilleries and produced fruit brandies, cordials and liqueurs. In the 1950s, the pair settled on making premium wines and decided a name change was in order for the winery. 

The winery was purchased in 1964 by Mary Reinke who had been working at the winery since 1943. Mary is credited with saving the winery from bankruptcy the late 1950s. She in turn sold it to a group from Minneapolis in 1974 that included Marlene and Paul Gallick. The Gallicks purchased the winery from the group and moved to Oregon in 1980. Today the Gallicks’ children are helping to run the winery and will presumably carry on when their parents retire.

Located in Salem, in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the winery sources some of the world’s finest vineyards, cane berry fields, and fruit orchards. The winery produces about 30,000 cases a year including a full line of premium vinifera wines and an extensive list of premium fruit and specialty wines.

For further reading on Oregon wine: Stursa, Scott. Oregon Wine: A Deep-Rooted History. American Palate, 2019.

Maryland |Boordy Vineyards (1945)
According to Maryland Wine, the first documented winemaking in Maryland took place in 1648 by Tenis Palee. In 1662, Governor Charles Calvert planted 200 acres of European vines on the east bank of the St. Mary’s River. Little is known what became of these early efforts. Maryland’s history picks up again in 1823 when John Adlum wrote what is considered to be the first book on American viticulture and winemaking. (See reference in the bibliography at the end of this post.) By the mid-1800s, Maryland wines began to gain recognition, and several vineyards were established throughout the state, particularly in the Piedmont Plateau and Eastern Shore, areas known for their conducive soil and favorable growing conditions. Then Maryland’s story drops off in the early 1900s as most vineyards were grubbed up because of the temperance movement, destroying the industry until 1933 after repeal of Prohibition.

Boordy Vineyards, Maryland’s first modern commercial winery, was founded in 1945 by Philip Wagner,  author of the 1933 book American Wines and How to Make Them, and his wife Jocelyn at their Riderwood, MD, farm. They specialized in French-American hybrids. (It may have been the first winery to do so.) While Wagner’s wines won praise, he became best known for his advocacy of the French-American hybrid and for his Boordy Nursery supplying growers along the East Coast.  (Legend has it that the name “Boordy” came from a child’s mispronunciation of the world Bordeaux…not proven!)

Born in 1904 and raised in Michigan, Philip Wagner began work as an editorial writer for the Baltimore Sun in 1930.  He started making his own wine from California grapes (Zinfandel and Carignan) during Prohibition and then planted a tiny (but unsuccessful) vineyard to vinifera vines. While working in London he learned of French-American hybrids and brought home cuttings to plant in his Maryland vineyard.

In 1980, one of Wagner’s winegrowers and a graduate of the UC Davis enology program, Rob Deford, purchased the name Boordy Vineyard. Rob decided he needed to find a new vineyard site to improve the quality of his red Bordeaux varieties. He chose an area in the Blue Ridge for its well-drained rocky soils and named it South Mountain Vineyard (25 acres).  In 2005, he ripped out old vines and replanted the entire vineyard, followed in 2013 by construction of a new state-of-the-art winery with production capacity of 170 thousand gallons. Boordy’s second vineyard site is Long Green Vineyard (22 acres) located on the home farm owned by four generations of the Deford family.

For further reading on Maryland wine: McCarthy, Regina. Maryland Wine: A Full-Bodied History. Arcadia Publishing, 2012.

Iowa | Ackerman Winery (1956)
Iowa’s wine story actually dates back to 1857 and George L’oste Davenport. (The city was named for his father.) Other wineries soon followed; by 1890 the wine industry had taken hold. By 1919 when Prohibition was enacted, Iowa had become the 6th largest wine producer in the U.S. (For pre-Prohibition history buffs, dig into stories about Clifton Vineyard, White Elk Vineyards, and Council Bluffs Grape Growers Association.)

Post-Prohibition, in 1934, Emil and William Ehrle founded a commercial winery called Ehrle Brothers. Until it closed in 2015, it was Iowa’s oldest continuously operating winery.

Ackerman Winery was founded in 1956 by Harry and Louisa Meyer Ackerman, sweethearts who married in 1943 and started making wine in their basement. In 1956, Ackerman Winery was first to be licensed by the state of Iowa. The winery emphasized fruit wines — including rhubarb — and some wine grapes. In 1974, the Ackermans’ son Les took over the winery with his wife Linda, expanding from two to more than twenty wines. In 2015, the winery was purchased by Bill and Rona Wyant, who with daughter Cassie and her winemaker husband Jach Bott, run Ackerman Winery today.

For further reading on Iowa wine: Paragine, John N. A History of Iowa Wine: Vines on the Prairie. The History Press, 2019.

Trendsetters and Accelerators (1973-83)

And now we go to California as a source of inspiration! During a period of dramatic growth starting in the 1970s, the acreage planted to vines in California increased 50%. The number of wineries grew from 231 to 345 (notably a fraction of the more than 4,000 wineries today). New winegrowing areas, such as Paso Robles, were newly planted. The Gallo Company, then known as E & J Gallo, began to dominate the U.S. (and is now the world’s largest wine company).

Eight wineries launched across the U.S. during this ten-year period of California-inspired growth:

Minnesota | Alexis Bailly Vineyard (1973)
Minnesota’s brief wine history begins in the 1940s with new possibilities that came from neighboring Wisconsin. Elmer Swenson, of Osceola, Wisconsin, is regarded as the grandfather of the cold-climate wine industry in the Northwestern states. First conducting private research on his own farm, cross breeding vines to both develop flavor and the hardiness needed to survive harsh (cold) conditions, he eventually turned to the University of Minnesota for help. He attended a “field day” in 1967, but didn’t gain much traction with the staff. Determined to access this resource, in 1969 he got as job as a gardener in the horticulture department. Continuing to conduct his own research, three years later he brought some new vine material to the department head, offering to gift it to the University if they would name and distribute it. In a surprising move, the answer was yes!

Attorney David Bailly founded Alexis Bailly Vineyard in 1973 with the purchase of 20 acres. The winery was named for an intrepid ancestor who the winery describes as a “voyageur” (traveler). Determined to grow French varieties, David adapted viticultural practices to the Minnesota environment and built a winery made from Minnesota limestone and white knotty pine. The first vintage was released in 1978. When David died in 1990, his daughter, Nan, took over winery operations. She added French hybrid grapes to the mix, in part as a result of further research conducted by University of Minnesota’s cool climate grape program. More recently, U of M has research a specific grape, Marquette, as a good match for Minnesota soil. The demand curve is going up!

Last year (November 2024), right after the winery celebrated its 50th anniversary, Nan Bailly decided to retire and announced the sale of the winery to Chet and Andrea Ruminsky Haider.

Hawaii | MauiWine (1974)
Yes, pineapples were involved along the way. But Hawaii has demonstrated that it is possible to grow winegrapes in that state.

The storied land on which MauiWine grows grapes today was once owned by King Kamehameha III in the 1800s. The spread of land was initially called Torbertsville in honor of the man to whom the King leased the land for farming and raising cattle. A sugar mill was the mainstay of L.L. Torbert’s business. The plantation was sold to James Makee in 1856, who then proceeded to build the estate known as Rose Ranch. In 1886, Rose Ranch was sold to James Isaac Dowsett. In 1900, Dr. James M. Raymond bought the estate and renamed it Raymond Ranch. Frank Fowler Baldwin purchased the property in 1922 and changed the name to Ulupalakua Ranch, and in the final real estate transaction leading up to creation of a winery, C. Pardee Erman purchased the Ulupalakua Ranch in 1963.

Erman started a winery in August 1974 on 23 acres of the Ulupalakua Ranch. Emil Tedeschi, a Napa Valley winemaker whose family owns Tedeschi Family Winery in Calistoga, was a co-founder of what was then known as Tedeschi Vineyards. 

Many historic buildings from the Makee era and Rose Ranch are still used for the winery. In 1975, Erman started experimenting with sparkling pineapple wine (which is still made!) and planted all of the acreage to a hybrid grape developed at UC Davis (Carnelian). In 1977, the first batch of sparkling pineapple wine, called Maui Blanc, was released with the help of consulting winemaker Dimitri Tschelistcheff. The first harvest of Carnelian was in 1981, and it was vinified to pink sparkling called Maui Brut Blanc de Noir (1984). In 1997, the winery undertook a major replanting of Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, Syrah, Malbec, and Grenache. Syrah became the flagship grape. The last crop of Carnelian was harvested in 2009.

The winery was renamed MauiWine in 2015. In a sense, MauiWine is a family business. Five members of the leadership team helmed by president Paula Hegele are members of the Hegele family. Paula began working for Tedeschi in 1990 when she and her husband moved to Maui from Oahu (and previously from North Dakota). She was named president of the company in 1995.

Idaho | Ste. Chappelle Winery & Tasting Room (1975)
By just about any measure, Idaho’s wine industry is small compared to its Pacific Northwest neighbors, even though its roots run deep. Wine grapes were planted near Lewiston in 1864, soon after the Civil War and well before the wine industry got started in Washington or Oregon. The vines were planted by immigrants, notably Louis Desol and Robert Schleicher from France, and Jacob Schaefer from Germany. 

In a now familiar story, commercial industry development was muted by Prohibition, and took even decades longer to emerge. Two Post-Prohibition wineries got started but didn’t make it: The Garden of Eaves in 1935 and Chateau Juliaette in 1972. It took until 1975 for a viable winery to emerge: Ste. Chappelle, Idaho’s oldest and largest brand,

Founded by the Symms family, owners of Symms Fruit Ranch, the winery moved from Emmett, ID, to its present facility in the Sunny Slope region in 1978. It is named after the 13th century building La Sainte Chapelle in Paris. The winery produces Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

Ste. Chappelle is currently owned by Seattle-based Precept Wine (since 2012 when it was purchased from Ascentia Wine Estates).

Today, there are 65 wineries and eight cideries planted on 1,300 acres in Idaho, most located in the Snake River Valley which is a bi-state American Viticultural Area northwest of Boise. The loamy volcanic soils and high-altitude vineyards, reaching 3,000 feet in elevation, produce ripe grapes that retain significant natural acidity and generate vibrant fruit. Vinifera vines love Idaho’s four-season climate!

North Carolina | Duplin Wine Cellars at Rose Hill (1975)
Although North Carolina was a national leader in winemaking before the Civil War, and revived the industry during the early 1900s, few modern-day Americans have regarded the state as a leader in grape and wine production. North Carolina is known mainly for championship college basketball, tourist attractions, and its tobacco industry. 

During the late 1960s, North Carolina had no wineries, but it did have grape farmers who sold their crops to out-of-state wineries.  In the early 1970s, wineries were once again being established, and Duplin Winery was among them. 

In 1972, David and Dan Fussell were muscadine grape growers who started Duplin Wine Cellars, Inc. out of necessity.  Grape prices had dropped dramatically and farmers were enduring hard times. State Senator Harold Hardison helped the Fussell brothers start the winery by circumventing the Rose Hill Town Board and pushing through legislation that gave the Fussells a permit to start a winery. To help struggling grape farmers, Hardison also championed a preferential tax: $.05 per gallon for North Carolina wines and $.87 for out-of-state wines.

In 1975, the Fussell family bottled its first sweet muscadine wine. Without a crusher, they stomped the grapes themselves.  Without a bottling operation, they used glass mason jars. But by 1981, they had opened a wine cellar and a built a new processing plant with the capacity for 1.8 million gallons. 

The early days were never easy, however.  A combination of problems plagued the winery during the 1980s.  Despite preferential tax treatment, North Carolina was the only market for Duplin wines. Already fighting for profitability, Duplin needed to spend even more on marketing their products.  The biggest difficulty was adapting after the change in preferential tax status. The courts declared the preferential tax unconstitutional in 1985. Wine sales dropped precipitously and Duplin Winery almost lost its only market. At one point, David Fussell faced bankruptcy and lost his house, but the winery was spared.

The Fussell brothers’ hard work began to pay off in the 1990s, although the winery did not have a profitable year until 1995. That was the year scientists first reported that wine drinking in moderation prevented heart attacks and strokes.  Of all grapes, muscadine contained the highest level of resveratrol, the substance in red wines that produces a variety of health benefits. Duplin sales increased more than ten times over the next decade. 

Second generation brothers Dave Fussell Jr. and Jonathan Fussell now run the family business. In 2015, they opened a new winery in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In 2023, the brothers opened a third location in Panama City Beach, Florida. With three locations, Duplin Winery claims to be the oldest and largest in the South. [I am not going to contest these claims, although we know that some Southern wineries got started before Duplin’s original site in Rose Hill, North Carolina.]

For further reading on North Carolina wine: Helsley, Alexia Jones. A History of North Carolina Wines: From Scuppernong to Syrah. Arcadia Publishing, 2010.

Rhode Island | Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard (1975)
Rhode Island’s wine history dates back to 1663 when King Charles II approved a royal charter to begin making wine in the colonies. The area was home to many native grapes when settlers arrived, so winemaking commenced and continued until the inevitable crush of Prohibition.

Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard — or simply Sakonnet Vineyard as it was originally known by owners Jim and Lolly Mitchell — was the first modern vineyard to open in 1975. The property spans 169 acres in Little Compton, RI, with 30 acres being devoted to wine grapes. One hundred acres of the property is an agricultural conservation trust. Southeastern New England has a short growing season and maritime climate that yields wines with softness and finesse, balanced acidity, and bright fruit flavors with excellent aging potential.

The winery has had three owners over its 50-year history. Earl and Susan Sampson purchased the winery from the Mitchells in 1987. In 2012, the winery was purchased by Carolyn Rafaelian through her company Dionysus Acquisition LLC. She was the founder and former owner of Alex and Ani, a jewelry company based in Cranston, RI. In May 2024, the winery announced the hiring of a new winemaker and operations director, James Davids and Marissa Stashenko, who are owners of Anchor & Hope Wine in East Providence.

The winery also owns two sister venues in Newport, RI: Belcourt of Newport and Bar & Board Bistro.

Washington | Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery (1976)
Washington’s wine history dates back to 1825 when grapes were first planted at Fort Vancouver by the Hudson Bay Company, and began to flourish when pioneer William Bridgman planted grapevines in Yakima Valley in the early 1900s. Dr. Walter Clore, of the Agricultural Research and Extension Center and recognized as the father of the Washington wine industry, researched what varieties would grow well in Washington. Today the industry is thriving with more than 1,000 wineries and 80 different varieties planted. 

Selecting a start-date for Chateau Ste. Michelle is a bit tricky. The business was built on the foundation of Seattle’s American Wine Growers (AWG) company, created in 1954 through a merger of two wine companies (Pommerelle and National, both of which had been created in Post-Prohibition 1934). In 1967 AWG launched its “Ste. Michelle” brand of grape wine under the guidance of legendary consulting winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff. In 1974, the company was acquired by a group of Seattle investors who renamed the company Ste. Michelle Vintners, Inc., before quickly selling it to a large East Coast-based firm.

As founding president of Chateau Ste. Michele (CSM) in 1976 — the final name change — Wally Opdycke undertook the construction of an modern Chateau-style winery in Woodinville. Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard in eastern Washington was planted in 2019, dedicated to red varieties. White varieties are grown at the Chateau in Woodinville. Other sources include Columbia Valley AVA, Cold Creek Vineyard, and Horse Heaven Vineyard.

CSM flourished, nurturing the careers of many talented winemakers, producing award-winning wines, and providing leadership and support to the statewide wine industry. The estate has become a crown jewel of the Woodinville tourism industry. The winemaking team includes Katie Nelson, VP of Winemaking; Brian Mackey, Head Winemaker; and Taylor Butterfield, White Winemaker.

For further reading on Washington wine: Gregutt, Paul. Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide. University of California, 2010.

Arizona | Sonoita Vineyards (1979)
Arizona’s wine history is not unlike many other states in the Southwest and West. Starting in the 1500s, Spanish missionaries and explorers established wineries in Arizona for sacramental and personal consumption. A gold rush in Arizona — yes, apparently there was one in the mid-1800s at around the same time as California — spurred development of more wineries. And then Prohibition brought it to a halt until the 1970s renaissance.

As part of a soil research project in 1973, Dr. Gordon Dutt, of the University of Arizona, established an experimental vineyard on the red, acidic clay common to southern Arizona (near the border of Mexico). Perhaps surprised by the success of the vineyard, and the quality of the grapes, Dr. Dutt planted a commercial vineyard in 1979, the first in the Sonoita/Elgin area, and the first in Arizona.

The Sonoita Vineyards winery opened in 1983. Today, Dr. Dutt’s granddaughter (and third generation) Lori Dutt-Reynolds is the winemaker, producing more than 7,000 cases of wine from ten different grape varieties grown on 30 acres. Dr. Dutt passed away in 2021 at age 91.

For further reading on Arizona wine: Berg, Erik. “Equal Age for Age: The Growth, Death, and Rebirth of an Arizona Wine Industry, 1700-2000. The Journal of Arizona History, Vol 59:3, Autumn 2018.

Maine | Bartlett Maine Estate Winery (1983)
Despite the fact that other Eastern Seaboard states jumped on the wine bandwagon in the earliest days of settlement in the 1600s, Mainers focused instead on fishing the cold waters and growing blueberries (and other fruit).

Maine’s first and oldest winery is the Bartlett Maine Estate Winery. Bob and Kathe Bartlett are the owners and winemakers of Bartlett Maine Estate Winery. In 1975, the couple knew that grapes wouldn’t thrive in the cooler New England climate. They thought the low-bush blueberries that cover Maine’s coastline — rich in tannins and bursting with flavor — would be an ideal fruit for making wine.

With the first 600 gallons of blueberry wine made in eight different styles, Bob and Kathe opened the doors of Bartlett Maine Estate Winery in 1983. Today the winery produces almost 7,000 cases a year and offers more than twenty fruit varieties, including dry and semi-dry blueberry reds, refreshing pear-apple whites, sweet blackberry dessert wines, and honey meads.

The Maine Wine Trail offers a list of nearly 20 wineries plus cideries and meaderies.

The Flywheel Effect (1969-88)

New state legislation passed in the 1960s and 1970s, collectively known as Farm Winery Acts, made it possible for small producers to begin commercial wine businesses. Not every state enacted a Farm Winery Act. Here I profile 12 wineries whose futures were unleashed by changes in winery law.

Pennsylvania | Presque Isle Wine Cellars and Penn Shore Vineyards (1969-70)
In Pennsylvania, we have Founding Fathers to thank for jump starting the wine industry in their home state. William Penn is credited with planting vines in the 1600s. Benjamin Franklin is quoted in Poor Richard’s Almanack in 1743 as encouraging readers to plant native American wine grapes. And then we jump to Pierre Legaux in 1787 whose contributions to viticulture are summarized above in the Early Influencers introduction to this story.

While Presque Isle Wine Cellars and Penn Shore Winery started just months apart in 1969 and 1970, they rival for first in Pennsylvania.

Presque Isle Wine Cellars (1969)
Presque Isle (PIWC) actually started in 1964 as a commercial business selling wine-making supplies and equipment. They made wine as well, but couldn’t sell until the state farm act was passed in 1968. In 1969, Presque Isle began selling wine as well as supplies and equipment.

Doug Moorhead was the founder of Presque Isle. He is often called the father of Pennsylvania winemaking. Moorhead was President of Welch Foods in the late 1950’s. During that time, he became interested in the economics of growing wine grapes to replace other fruits such as sweet and sour cherries, peaches, plums, and apples which had become less and less profitable. Doug experimented with nearly 200 French Hybrid varieties and introduced European grapes (Vitis vinifera) into the Lake Erie area. He was the first chairman of a State Grape Marketing Council which developed the legislative proposal that became the Pennsylvania Limited Winery Act in 1968. 

Erik Moorhead, son of Doug and his wife Marlene, is currently Chairman of The Board and PIWC President. He pursued a career in architectural engineering, but always kept close ties to PIWC. Erik lives with his family in aptly-named Grapevine, Texas.  Marya Johnson is General Manager, taking on the role in April 2024 as a third career incarnation. Marya had a successful first career as a Veterinarian and then became a chef. Andrew Lanich is the winemaker. 

Penn Shore Winery & Vineyards (1969-70)
Penn Shore Winery was established by three Lake Erie area grape farmers — George Sceiford, George Luke and Blair McCord — who sought to bring the rich viticultural heritage of Europe to the shores of Lake Erie. It was the second winery to be licensed in Pennsylvania (1968). (The first licensed winery never opened.) Penn Shore Winery planted grapes in 1969 and opened in April 1970.

The Winery is currently run by its fourth set of owners in 50+ years. For a time (unknown, at least in public records) the owners of the Mazza Winery took control of Penn Shore from the original three owners. Jeff and Cheryl Ore bought Penn Shore Winery in 2004. Hannah and Scott Neeley became owners on June 29, 2023, the 4th set of owners for this renowned winery. They are also are owners of KingView Mead, Wine & Hard Cider.

For further reading on Pennsylvania wine: Cattell, Hudson and Linda Jones McKee. Pennsylvania Wine: A History. Charleston: The History Press, 2012.

Indiana | Oliver Winery (1972)
As I covered in the introduction of Early Influencers, John-Jacques Dufour and his family founded the first Indiana vineyards in Vevay (prounounded “vee-vee”) in what is now Switzerland County. A small wine industry cropped up in and around Vevay, but was decimated by Prohibition. It wasn’t until the Indiana Small Winery Act passed in 1971, and the Indiana Farm Winery Act passed in 1974, that the industry got going again.

2022 was the 50th anniversary for Oliver Winery, located just outside Bloomington (where I went to college at Indiana University!). Founder Bill Oliver actually started growing grapes and making wine as a hobby in the 1960s while he was a law professor at IU. Soon he was making enough wine that he felt he needed to start making plans for a commercial winery. Accordingly, he was instrumental in passage of the Indiana Small Winery Act and opened Oliver Winery the following year (1972).

Son Bill (not Jr. or II) took over the winery in 1983. Bill’s wife Kathleen joined ten years later as General Manager. Together they implemented major facility renovations in 2002 and 2007. Today Bill Oliver serves as chairman and founder. Pat Brown is CEO, and Julie Adams is president. To date, none of the three children who would be the 3rd generation of the Oliver family is involved in the leadership of the business.

For further reading on Indiana wine: Butler, James L. and John J. Butler. Indiana Wine: A History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001.

Connecticut Haight-Brown Vineyard (1975)
In 1975, Connecticut had no wineries. Sherman Post Haight, Jr., was a trailblazer in creating Connecticut’s wine industry. Haight was retired as president of his family’s Georgia-based textile printing business. On a passionate lark, he established Haight Vineyard, Inc. nestled on a 165-acre property he farmed part-time on Litchfield’s historic Chestnut Hill. The next year he built a Tudor-style winery facility and began petitioning the State of Connecticut to pass a farm winery act. When it was approved in 1978, Haight Vineyard was the first license.

In 2007, Amy Senew and Courtney Brown purchased the property from Haight and renamed it Haight-Brown Vineyard, but upheld many of Haight’s traditions such as educational events and classes. Justin Pascoe and Mariah Smith bought the property in 2021, intending to rebrand as Chestnut Hill Vineyards. Unfortunately, the winery ceased operations in August 2023.

The second oldest winery, and second winery to obtain a farm act license, is Hopkins Vineyard. Bill and Judith Hopkins turned their dairy farm into a vineyard in 1979, making theirs the oldest family-owned winery in Connecticut. The farm has been in the Hopkins family since 1787.

For further reading on Connecticut wine: Lehman, Eric D. and Amy Nawrocki. A History of Connecticut Wine: Vineyard in Your Backyard. The History Press, 2011.

Virginia | Barboursville Vineyards and Pearmund Cellars (1976)
For a little history refresher, Jamestown was America’s first colony of English Settlers in 1607. Twelve years later, the Virginia House of Burgesses passed a law requiring all male colonists to plant and tend at least 10 grapevines. In 1762, wealthy planter and entrepreneur Charles Carter proved it was possible to grow wine grapes in Virginia. The following decade, Thomas Jefferson, with support from the Virginia Wine Company, devoted 2,000 acres of land at Monticello to start a vineyard and winery. These early experiments, largely unsuccessful, yielded little more than a renewed appreciation for the great European wines they wished to emulate.

In the 19th century, wisely turning to wines made from Native American (indigenous) grapes, early winemakers met with great success, even winning awards at World’s Fairs. The success of indigenous grapes, along with the important discovery that native and European vines could be grafted together, gave Virginia’s nascent wine industry a huge boost. That is, of course, until Prohibition. Though officially repealed in 1933, the hangover from Prohibition would linger for decades in Virginia. It wasn’t until the late 1950s that experimental plantings of vinifera vines began to show promise, fueling a recovery.

In 1976, Italian entrepreneur and vintner Gianni Zonin saw potential in Virginia and hired Gabriele Rausse to grow and harvest vinifera grapes near Charlottesville. He established Barboursville Vineyards (on the former Barbour farm) and then helped five more vineyards do the same. By 1995, Virginia had 46 wineries. By 2005, there were 107. Today, Virginia is home to nearly 300 wineries. Vintners and vineyards across the Commonwealth are now reaping the fruits of a 400-year experiment.

In 2017, founder Gianni Zonin transferred executive duties to his three sons: Domenico, Michele, and Francesco Zonin. Francesco Zonin is president of the company, which is part of a larger enterprise of wine companies based in Vicenza IT. Luca Paschina, a native of Piedmont IT, is the winery’s estate manager and winemaker.

Today the Barboursville Winery experience includes Palladio, an Italian-focused restaurant; the Library 1821 tasting room housed in the original winery structure where historical documents are preserved; and an Inn and three cottages for guests.

For further reading on Virginia wine: Rowe, Walker Elliott. A History of Virginia Wines: From Grapes to Glass. The History Press, 2009.

New Mexico | La Vina Winery and La Chiripada Winery (1976)
Among other states (or territories destined for statehood) asserting that they were first to have any sort of notable wine history — all chronicled in this post — New Mexico still believes it is the oldest wine country in America. It’s true that the history of wine in New Mexico is as rich and complicated as its colorful landscapes. But New Mexico is tied for “first wine” honors with many other states. That said, a fair amount has been written about this period of time in the wild and woolly American Southwest.

Spanish missionaries settled the area now known as New Mexico in the late 1500s. The problem for them was that there was very little wine in New Mexico available for sacramental wine. A Spanish law, put in place in 1595 to protect the country’s thriving agricultural industry, prohibited Spanish grapes from being exported and planted in foreign soil. Naturally, Spanish settlers were more than a little sour about this law.

For a while, the monks were forced to use small amounts of imported wine that contained a whopping 18 percent alcohol and 10 percent sugar. They were desperate for a local source of wine to produce something more palatable. Out of either rebellion or desperation, obedience to the Spanish ban on grape exports came to an end. In 1629, Fray Garcîa de Zuñiga and Antonio de Arteaga smuggled vines out of their home country and planted New Mexico’s first grapes in a field just south of modern-day Socorro. The variety they planted is known as the Mission grape and is still grown in New Mexico today.

By 1633, New Mexican viticulture had completely taken hold. But it wasn’t smooth sailing just yet. The relationship between Spanish settlers and Native Southwestern tribes was on edge resulting in the loss of many vineyards. By the time New Mexico became a U.S. territory in 1853, 220 years later, the industry had recovered. Vineyards were planted from the northernmost reaches of the state near Colorado all the way to the southern border near Las Cruces and El Paso, Texas. In the late 1800s, wine production increased nearly tenfold. This little state in the southwest was ranked fifth in the nation for wine. And then, once again, there was Prohibition. And after than, the flood of the century in 1943 when the Rio Grand wiped out fledgling vineyards dampened many hopes for a future in the wine business.

In the scrappy spirit of the preceding 400 years, two wineries continue to vie for honors as the first modern commercial winery.

La Viña
In 1997, the first small commercial winery opened its doors in La Union. It specialized in wine from varieties that could thrive in New Mexico’s harsh winters and blistering summers. The winery claims the title of the longest continuous operating vineyard in the state.

La Chiripada Winery
Also in 1977, La Chiripada Winery (“stroke of luck”) planted vines in the Embudo Valley, in northern New Mexico just north of Santa Fe near Taos, producing its first commercial vintage in 1981. Michael and Patrick Johnson are the founders and owners. Their daughter Kristin Hennelly is now involved in the winemaking operation.

Today there are more than 60 wineries and three American Viticultural Areas (mostly in the southeastern part of the state) in New Mexico.

For further reading on New Mexico wine: Birchell, Donna Blake. New Mexico Wine: An Enchanting History. Arcadia Publishing, 2013.

Colorado | Colorado Cellars (1978)
The high desert of the Colorado plateau has developed as a unique growing area in the mountainous western U.S. Unfortunately late to the Pre-Prohibition party, Colorado winemaking began more than 100 years ago on the Western Slope. Shortly thereafter, Prohibition put the brakes on what had been shaping up to be a perfect winegrowing region with warm days, cool nights, and low humidity.

Fast forward to a slow start to the modern industry. The Grand Valley AVA (1991) is peppered with interesting wineries along the I-70 Highway, with a special concentration surrounding Palisade (best known for its delicious peaches).

The estate grown grapes of Colorado Cellars were planted in 1995. Colorado passed a Limited Winery Act in 1977; Colorado Cellars was bonded in 1978 and retains the title of Colorado’s oldest bonded winery still in operation. The winery’s original partnership of eleven investors became a sole proprietorship in 1986. Owners Richard and Padte Turley — the latter serving as winemaker — also include the brands Rocky Mountain Vineyards and the Orchard Mesa Wine Company.

By 1990, there were five wineries in Colorado; now there are more than 120.

For further reading about Colorado wineries on Vino Ventures: https://vinoventurescincinnati.com/2019/07/11/united-states-of-wine-colorado/

Massachusetts | Noshoba Vallery Winery (1978)
Like other early settlements along the eastern seaboard, in 163O wine was made in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from wild native grapes. In 1635, Englishman Dr. Robert Child planted French vines in what is now Massachusetts apple country. Late in the 17th century, Indian-harassed Huguenots in western Massachusetts attempted to grow wine grapes. None of these efforts was successful.

Of special note in Massachusetts is the Concord grape, named for the town in which Ephraim Wales Bull developed the grape in 1849. It became a popular source of juice, jelly, and wine. Because of a defect in his patent application, Bull never profited from his work, although the Welch family certainly did. Shoots from the original vine are still growing adjacent to Bull’s Grapevine Cottage.

The first viable commercial winery in Massachusetts was Chicama Vineyards on Martha’s Vineyard, planted in 1971. The marine surroundings tempered the cold climate making it possible to grow vinifera vines. When George and Catherine Mathiesen arrived, they found, to their surprise, no vineyard on the island. Chicama became a lighthouse for New England wine producers, but it could not survive the death of George Mathiesen. The Mathiesens and David Tower helped get a farm winery passed enabling direct sales to wholesalers, shops, restaurants, and consumers. Tower’s Commonwealth Winery in Plymouth (1978 to 1988) was an artistic success but a financial failure.

Noshoba Valley Winery, Distillery, Brewery & Restaurant’s tag line is “Born in Concord, Raised in Bolton.” In 1976, Jack Partridge envisioned producing serious wines from fruit that he could grow in New England based on recipes described by early Pilgrims. Jack was inspired by American history and a scientific approach to fermenting local fruits — including apples, a Massachusetts specialty — into dry style wines.  He started experimenting at his home in Sommerville. Along with Larry Ames, a Brown University graduate, they created Nashoba Valley Winery in 1978. As it grew larger, the winery moved to Bolton in 1983.

 In 1995, Jack sold the winery and farmhouse to Rich and Cindy Pelletier, who are the current owners. Back then, the concept of “grown locally” was just starting to develop in areas where winegrowing was relatively new. Agritourism was a concept, not a business.  The new owners believed that a visit had to become an experience, a place where people gather to experience open land and dirty hands. 1995-98 was a period of transition. Original winemaker Larry Ames came back to assist. A barrel room was added, then a restaurant. A new winery facility was built in 2001 which incorporated elements of the original building using a “building over a building” approach. Finally, in 2019 the Pelletiers added a distillery. Today son Justin Pelletier has joined the business as chief operating officer, while Rich serves as president and Cindy handles marketing.

Montana | Mission Mountain Winery (1980)
Montana is a youthful winegrowning area with no Pre-Prohibition history to report. Dudley Page and Tom Campbell Sr. started making wine in the early 1980s around Flathead Lake. Although they initially experimented with growing Pinot Noir, they shifted quickly to growing hardy cold-climate grapes including Frontenac, Marquette, and French hybrids. The growing season was too short to even attempt vinifera vines. In the 21st century, Montana’s production began to grow, but it is ranked 49th out of 50 states.

The first winery, Mission Mountain Winery, was founded in 1980 with its inaugural vintage in 1984 made with grapes grown in Montana and Washington’s Rattlesnake Hills. Unfortunately it permanently closed in 2023.

Another winery, founded at about that same time, is the second oldest in Montana. In 1998, Connie Poten and Andy Sponseller started clearing land to plant a vineyard. The winery was built in 2000, but they did not begin selling their wine commercially until 2004. At the time, the name of the winery was Rattlesnake Creek Vineyard. After a name-challenge from a Washington winery in that state’s Rattlesnake Hills, Poten and Sponseller decided to sponsor a contest to rename the winery. Ten Spoon, a clever combination of their last names, was the winner. A second vineyard was planted in 2012. In addition to French hybrid grapes, Ten Spoon also grows cherries (made into wine) and purchases vinifera grapes from Washington.

Wineries continue to open throughout the state, most of them during the last decade. Today there are 17 wineries in Montana, including several meaderies.

Tennessee | Highland Manor Winery (1980)
Before Prohibition outlawed the sale of alcohol, Tennessee was one of the leading states in the country for grape production. Winemaking on the Cumberland Plateau began well over 100 years ago, when early settlers fought to tame the wilderness. In 1880, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that Tennessee produced nearly 65,000 gallons of wine. Today, grape production in the state is on the rise in large part due to a farm winery law passed in 1979. There are more than 65 wineries, mostly in east Tennessee at Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. There are 33 wineries in and around Nashville.

Highland Manor Winery was founded in Jamestown by Butch and Gertie Campbell. Family members Fredrick and Rhonda Mooney bought the winery in 1997 from Fredrick’s uncle Butch when the Campbells decided to retire. In addition to a broad range of vinifera, native and hybrid grapes, the Moodys’ family farm also includes a beef cattle operation along with other livestock and a large apiary. They produce Sawbriar Honey, wild berry jams and jellies, and traditional country hams.

Florida | San Sebastian Winery (1983)
Many historians believe that St. Augustine, Florida, is the birthplace of American wine. The earliest records of winemaking in the New World date back to the mid-1500s, when French Huguenots and Spanish settlers made wine from Florida’s native grape, Muscadine. 

It is fitting, then, that San Sebastian Winery in St. Augustine would be the first modern-day commercial winery. The company was founded in 1983 by the Cox family. In 1996 the family structured a private corporation with Gary Cox as Founder and Board Chairman, and Andrew Meggitt as Director of Winemaking operations. (Other Cox family members serve on the board.) With capability to turn out 15,000 bottles per day, San Sebastian is the second largest winery in Florida.

West Virginia | West-Whitehill Winery (1981)
“Take me home country roads to the place where I belong. West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.” (John Denver)

The wine industry in West Virginia began prior to the Civil War. The first winery was established in the 1850’s in Dunbar near Charleston. Dutch Hollow Wine Cellars constructed three cellars of stone to cool and age the wine. Wine would be carted to Charleston where it would then be shipped to Cincinnati. Production continued until 1861 when labor became too expensive due to the Civil War. Today the cellars are listed on the National Register of Historic Places although wine has not been made there for over a century.

The first Post-Prohbition vineyard in the state was planted by Stephen West in 1973, but it wasn’t until 1981 that a farm winery bill was finally passed for the state of West Virginia, after having been vetoed three times previously by the governor at the time, John D. Rockefeller IV. West-Whitehill Winery was the state’s second licensed winery and the first to open a winery. Today, Steve’s daughter Amanda manages the vineyard and wine business. Family member Tyler Wilkins is the winemaker and winery manager.

Kirkwood Winery actually had the first license, but did not plant vineyards until 1984. The founder, the late Rodney Facemire, lost all the vines the following year after a harsh winter and had to replant the entire vineyard. Nevertheless, Kirwood claims to have been the first vineyard planted in the heart of West Virginia. Frank and Elizabeth Dix have owned Kirkwood Winery and its related Isaiah Morgan Distillery since 2017.

Delaware | Nassau Valley Winery (1987)
The first winegrapes in Delaware were planted in 1638 primarily by Swedish settlers. However, until the late 20th century, most wine was made in people’s homes for personal consumption. When Dutch settlers arrived later in the 1600s, they found the area to be more suitable for apples and hard cider. Interest in winemaking from grapes took a back seat until the 1980s.

The first commercial winery in Delaware, Nassau Valley Winery was founded by Peggy Raley (then only 21 years old) and her father, Bob Raley, on their family farm just outside of historic Lewes in Sussex County. After several years of writing about international wines, Peggy decided to try her hand at winemaking, and in 1987 planted vineyards of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

But there was a problem. At that time it was prohibited in Delaware to produce and sell alcohol manufactured within state lines. So for three years, Raley-Ward worked to change the law. She led the charge to pass a farm winery law as the author and key advocate. It passed in 1991. The commercial winery opened for business two years later. It was the only commercial winery in Delaware until brothers Pete and Tony Pizzadili founded Pizzadili Winery in 2007. Only two more wineries have started since then: Salted Vines Vineyard & Winery and Harvest Ridge Winery.

Rounding Third and Heading for Home (1991-2017)

Louisiana | Wild Bush Farm + Vineyard (2021)
Formerly Ponchartrain Winery (1991)
Louisiana was a French Territory until 1803 which influenced both its wine and food culture. During the 19th century, most of the wine available in Louisiana was imported from Europe. Louisiana is hot and humid, which makes it difficult to grow grapes. Efforts to grow grapes, whether vinifera or hybrid, were punished. It wasn’t until the 1970s that a wine industry began to surface. Today Louisiana is part of the Mississippi Delta AVA and has four bonded wineries growing varieties such as Norton and Blanc du Bois, collectively producing about 20,000 gallons per year.

Neil Gernon and Monica Bourgeois purchased Ponchartrain Winery, which had been founded by John Seago in 1991, in 2021. Their wine background included a company called Vending Machine Wines which they founded in 2009 as a means of finding a differentiating voice in the Louisiana wine industry. Ponchartrain Winery went on the market for sale during the COVID pandemic. Pontchartrain Vineyards had been a leading example of what Louisiana winegrowing could accomplish. When John Seago retired, his partner Lincoln Case took the reins. Under difficult growing conditions, Lincoln had cultivated a wine program that included both locally grown grapes, such as Blanc Du Bois, as well as Cabernet and Merlot. And then Lincoln decided to sell the winery.

Acquiring a business with an alcohol license is complicated, so Neil and Monica formed a new identity. Located in Bush, LA, and playing on the idea that they would be taking a bit of a wild approach to their methods, they chose the name Wild Bush Farm + Vineyard. They started working with native muscadine plants, blueberries, Mayhaws, pears and hybrid grape varieties.

Today there are five wineries in Louisiana (in addition to Wild Bush Farm + Vineyard) with websites and posted visiting hours: Landry Vineyards and Winery (1999); Milicevic Family Vineyards (2014); Heart Gates Vineyard (2015); On Cloud Vine Winery (2016); and Thirsty Farmer (2016).

Kansas | Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery (1991)
Kansas has a long history of grape growing and wine making along with other Midwestern states that led development of a wine industry. Thanks to German settlers who planted vines along the Missouri River, root stock from Kansas helped mitigate the phylloxera crisis in Europe in the mid-1800s. In 1901, despite temperance and impending Prohibition, over 5,000 acres of Kansas vineyards were still producing grapes. Its growing area was even bigger than California’s at the time. Unfortunately, even though Prohibition was repealed, Kansas kept strict laws on the books prohibiting the sale of alcohol. Vineyards fell into neglect and eventual decline.

In 1985, Kansas passed the Farm Winery Act establishing guidelines for wineries.  Kansas vineyards produce wines from American native, American hybrid, and French hybrid grapes. The native grapes grown in Kansas vineyards include Norton and Chambourcin.

Today Kansas has more than 50 wineries and three official wine trails.

Smoky Hill Vineyards & Winery was founded by Steve Jennings and Kay Bloom. They hand-planted the first vines on a one-acre field in Salina, Kansas. By 2009, Smoky Hill had become the largest winegrower farm winery in Kansas. Their children, Norm and Jen Jennings, also worked in the winery. The founding family passed on the well-established craft to George Plante, his daughter, Nicki, and her husband, Brock, in November 2012. In addition to its own 17 acres of vineyards, Smoky Hill currently works with multiple vineyards throughout the state to purchase grapes for its award-winning wines.

South Carolina | A Trio of Next-Gen Wineries (1985-2001)
Like other southern states, South Carolina battled heat, humidity, and other unfavorable climate conditions that hampered development of a commercial industry. Little has been written about those early years. One exception is a story about Greenville where a Swiss family planted a vineyard in 1847. The demise of what started out as a very promising industry in South Carolina initially halted with a severe wet season in the late 1880s, destroying half of most grapes, followed by South Carolina’s state-level Prohibition movement in the next decade. 

The modern wine industry of South Carolina began in 1953. Most grapes were (and are) muscadine; other fruit wines were also made. Here are a few examples of the wine pioneers in South Carolina, none of whom are still in business. Sweet tea remains South Carolina’s favorite beverage!

• Silver Dew Winery on Daufuskie Island was the first winery in South Carolina. It was located in a building that was originally built in 1883 as a wick house used to store oil and wicks for the nearby lighthouse. 
• The Tenner Brothers opened in 1953.  Canadaigua Wine Company, producers of the brand Wild Irish Rose, purchased the winery in 1965. The winery closed for good in the 1990s.
• Next to open was Truluck Vineyards in 1978.  Jim Truluck was instrumental in getting a farm winery bill passed in 1980, which allowed tastings and sales of wine on estate premises.  Despite this, he closed his winery in December of 1990.
• Montmorenci Vineyards opened in Aiken in 1990, but is permanently closed (date unknown). 

Still in business are these next-generation wineries. Carolina Vineyards started in North Myrtile Beach in 1985, moving to Chester, SC, in 2005. The winery produces mainly fruit wines. Deep Water Vineyard, formerly Irvin-House Vineyard (2001), was sold by original owners Ann and Jim Irvin to the Freiwald family in 2012. Also in 2001, the La Belle Amie Vineyard was planted, followed by the Twelve Oaks Estate two years later. (See also the section on Virginia and the expansion of Duplin Vineyards to South Carolina.)

New Hampshire | Flag Hill Distillery and Winery (1990)
The first recorded winery in New Hampshire was planted in Laconia in 1965. It was later sold and renamed New Hampshire Winery, but closed permanently in 1992.

Jewell Town Vineyards opened in 1990, but as of 2018 it was permanently closed by its founders, Peter and Brenda Oldak, for their retirement.

Frank Reinhold Sr. bought 180 farmland acres in the Lee, NH, area in 1950. In 1985, his son Frank Jr. took over the property with the hope of growing grapes. The farm made the major move to switch from a dairy farm to a vineyard in 1987. Flag Hill Distillery and Winery sits on a 110-acre conservation easement which preserves the property to remain in agriculture forever. Frank Jr. began planting grapes in 1990. The first harvest took place in 1994 and was released in 1996 with 500 cases of wine. In 2004, Flag Hill Distillery began making vodka from New Hampshire apples. Today, the farm is owned by Distiller Brian Ferguson and his wife Maddie. The farm produces grapes for the winery, grain for the distillery, and vegetables for events.

Today there are more than 30 wineries in New Hampshire.

Nebraska | James Arthur Vineyard (1997)
As was the case for neighboring northern cold-climate states, early settlers brought fruit trees, grape vines, and other crops with them from the Eastern States in the early to mid-1800s. Wild grapes (Vitis riparia) were in abundance along the river valleys in much of the Nebraska Territory.

This part of Nebraska’s wine history sounds almost exactly like Kansas! By the late 19th century, there were 5,000 acres of vines in the 11 counties comprising southeast Nebraska.  Then history got in the way: World War I followed by Prohibition.  During the period 1919 to 1933, some grape growing continued on a small scale, primarily for home use such as fresh eating, jams and jellies, and juices, but not for wine. It was not until the mid-1980s that the Nebraska Farm Wineries Act went into effect.

Ed Swanson (not to be confused with researcher Elmer Swensen) starting scoping out plantings of various American hybrids. By the end of 1994, he was ready to launch Cuthills Vineyards Winery, Nebraska’s first Post-Prohibition and then-largest winery. The winery permanently closed around 2017.

James Arthur Vineyards was started by founding owner Jim Jeffers in 1997. He planted his first 100 vines in 1992. It is now the largest winery in Nebraska. It is owned by second-generation James Arthur and Neenie Jeffers together with Jim and Barb Ballard. The estate winery supplements 20 acres of grapes with product from other Nebraska grape growers.

South Dakota | Valiant Winery & Distillery (1996)
South Dakota’s nascent winery history began in 1996 when the Nygaard family started the state’s first commercial winery. The Nygaard family’s history of winemaking dates back to 1850, when Christian F. Gossmann, Eldon Nygaard’s great-great-grandfather, immigrated from Germany. The German side of the Nygaard Family had a history of making homemade wines from elderberries, apples, and wild grapes.

Valiant Vineyards & Distillery, South Dakota’s first winery, was founded by Eldon Nygaard. The winery was awarded Bonded Winery License BW-SD-1, thus becoming South Dakota’s first commercial wine industry. Eldon’s first wine was made from mulberries picked on the family farm in Turner County, SD, in 1961. In 1993, the Nygaard Family planted a test plot of grapes on their farm, selecting cold-hardy varieties including the Valiant grape propagated by Dr. Ronald Peterson of South Dakota State University. By 1996 it was evident that this grape selection would work, so the next step was to license wineries in South Dakota. He wrote the farm winery legislation that became the Farm Winery Act in 1996. Valiant Vineyards, Inc. was incorporated in 2000, the same year the winery facility opened. Eldon and his wife Sherry’s son, Leif, began making wine by the time he was eighteen, making him a sixth-generation American winemaker.

Valiant Vineyards is also home to Stone Faces Distillery, producing vodka, whiskey, apple brandy, rum, and bourbon.

For further reading on South Dakota wine: DePaolo, Denise and Kara Sweet. South Dakota Wine: A Fruitful History. American Palate, 2017.

Vermont | Snow Farm Vineyard & Distillery (1997)
The history of winemaking in Vermont can be traced to the 1970s when Ken Albert, co-founder of Shelburne Vineyard in 1998, started experimenting with French hybrids on a small plot of land he’d cleared of trees. Prior to that, most fermentation activity in the state centered around apples. Through trial and error, Shelburne Vineyard has grown to be one of the biggest wine producers in the state.

Harrison and Molly Lebowitz opened Snow Farm Vineyard a year earlier than Shelburne Vineyard, in 1997, making it the first commercial winery in Vermont. With head winemaker Patrick Barrelet, the owners laid the groundwork to create a space where people could enjoy a glass of wine while enjoying the views of Lake Champlain. They created over a dozen wines from grapes that Patrick had learned how to grow in France.

Dave and Julie Lane and their family have been caring for the land where the vineyard is located since 1961. The family purchased the 200-year old dairy farm known as Crescent Bay in that year. In 1993, the Lanes sold some of the land that would become a Snow Farm Vineyard. In 2012, when the vineyard was up for sale, the Lanes purchased the estate winery to forestall development (even though the 120 acres surrounding the winery were preserved in a land trust). Patrick stayed on as head winemaker.

For further reading on Vermont wine: Trzaskos, Todd. Wines of Vermont: A History of Pioneer Fermentation. Arcadia Publishing, 2015.

Alaska | Bear Creek Winery (2003)
Although global warming may eventually change things in Alaska, attempts to make wine from vitis vinifera grapes (as opposed to other fruits) have failed. This has stopped many entrepreneurs from trying to start a winery or to keep one going.

The only operational winery of substance in Alaska is Bear Creek Winery in Homer. Bill and Dorothy Fry opened Bear Creek Winery and Lodging in 2003. Their daughter Jasmine, and her husband Louis Maurer, took over the winery in 2019 after several years of making wine together with Bill and Dorothy. Maurer also produces his own line of wines called Glacier Bear.

North Dakota | Pointe of View Winery (2002)
Like its neighbors in the Pacific Northwest, North Dakota faces harsh growing conditions from a continental climate. Wild grapes grew along North Dakota’s riversides, and early settlers were intrigued, but a combination of the inhospitable climate and the adoption of prohibition at the time of statehood in 1889 meant that the wine history of North Dakota stretches back only to the 1990s. North Dakota was the last state in the United States since Prohibition to license a commercial winery. 

The first bonded commercial winery in North Dakota, Pointe of View Winery, was established on April 17, 2002. This was the first time there was a licensed winery in all 50 states. The owners of the winery (Jeff Peterson and the Egglestons) had experimented for many years making wines for their own consumption. The winery specializes in native fruit, grape, and honey wines.

North Dakota has a tiny wine industry, based on fruit wines and cold-hardy hybrid varieties. There are around 14 wineries in the state’s Grape and Wine Association, with a similar number of vineyard businesses.

Wyoming | Table Mountain Vineyard aka WyoWine (2004)
In “big sky” country, agricultural products — livestock and field crops — are the largest industry sectors. With so much land given over to bison, hay, and sugarbeets, there’s not much left for wine grapes. Wyoming’s cold climate is another natural factor limiting options for winegrowers. For example, Wyoming’s first winery, Terry Ranch Cellars established in 1994 near Cheyenne, is now a bison ranch.

Today there are seven wineries in Wyoming, with Table Mountain Vineyards & Winery (WyoWine) claiming the oldest slot. The Zimmerer family has farmed field crops near Huntley for four generations. In 2001, Patrick Zimmer planted a small vineyard plot as part of his college thesis. Learning that it was possible to grow hardy, cold-climate hybrid grapes, he and his family forged ahead to plant a full vineyard. In 2004, they opened WyoWine growing twelve different hybrid varieties on 10 acres.

For further reading on Wyoming wines, see my Vino Ventures post: https://vinoventurescincinnati.com/2019/06/24/united-states-of-wine-wyoming/

Utah | I/G Winery (2012)
The history of winemaking in Utah is a bit challenging to unpack. The first winegrapes were imported to Utah from California in 1857 by Walter Dodge and John Harris. Shortly after, the Mormon Church decided to establish a wine mission in the southern part of the state. Around the turn of the century, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints became concerned with rising alcoholism and banned wine from the sacrament. The temperance movement and Prohibition led to abandonment of most vineyards.

Wine production did not begin again until the late 1970s. By 1988, when Castle Creek Winery was established in Moab, there were 30 vineyards in the state. All but Castle Creek had folded by 2013. Castle Creek closed permanently in 2021, its facility replaced by a Bronco Off-Rodeo showroom.

A small winery renaissance got started in 2012 with these two wineries.

I/G Winery is a family-owned urban winery in Cedar City. The name pays homage to its origins in a small building behind the Iron Gate Bed & Breakfast. Wines are made, blended, and vinted locally using grapes sourced from Washington, Oregon, California, and Utah. I/G Winery’s winemaker is Doug McCombs who had to help the city write new zoning codes to allow wineries in the area before opening I/G. 

Roberto Alvarez bought land in Leeds, UT, with plans to start a commercial vineyard. The “Great Recession” of 2008-09 stopped those plans from proceeding. He kept the land, however, and in 2012 began making Zinfandel. Today all wine at The Vine Yard is made from grapes grown in the estate vineyard: 15 wines from 10 vinifera varieties plus blends.

Today, in addition to I/G Winery and The Vine Yard, there are three other wineries in southern Utah, all described in the website for the Utah Wine Trail: Zion Vineyards (2013); Bold and Delaney Winery (2014); and Water Canyon Winery (2021).

Nevada | Nevada Sunset Winery (2017)
Nevada does not have a Pre-Prohibition history, nor were vineyards planted until 1988 when the Sanders Family Winery was started in Pahrump. Perhaps early settlers were in a hurry to reach California to capitalize on the Gold Rush? Until 2015, it was illegal in Nevada to sell wine commercially in counties with more than 100,000 residents. This was believed to have been a move by distributors to control liquor supply. It was a significant barrier that certainly limited the wine industry in the larger urban areas of Nevada.

At one point, Nevada had five commercial wineries: Sanders Family Winery in Pahrump (1988); Nevada Wine Cellars and Pahrump Valley Winery in Pahrump (1990), at one time Nevada’s largest producer; Churchill Vineyards at Frey Ranch in Fallon (2004); Nevada Sunset Winery in Reno (2017); and Basin and Range Cellars in Reno (2018). All but Nevada Sunset Winery are now permanently closed. Pahrump closed in 2023 and Sanders in 2024, both due to legal challenges. Churchill closed because its owners shifted focus to operating a successful distillery. Basin and Range sold the business to Krag Redinger in 2020; reasons for and the date of closing the winery (and website) were not publicly disclosed.

That leaves just one very modern urban winery to visit in Reno, Nevada. Nevada Sunset Winery is located in the brewery district in downtown Reno, the same location formerly occupied by Basin and Range. Its founders, who relocated from California, are Kate and Craig McDonald. They have more than 25 years of vineyard farming and winemaking experience at Boyle McDonald Wines in in Murphys, CA, which they still operate. In Reno, their wines are made using both California and Nevada-grown grapes including 100% Nevada grown blends and varieties. 

Key References

Adams, Leon D. The Wines of America, Fourth Edition. McGraw-Hill, 1990.

Adlum, John. A Memoir on the Cultivation of the Vine in America, and the Best Mode of Making Wine. 1823. [A reprint of this book from Kessinger Publishing is available on Amazon.com.]

Cattell, Hudson. Wines of Eastern North America: From Prohibition to the Present. Cornell University Press, 2014.

DuFour, John James. An American Vine-dresser’s Guide, 1826. The American Antiquarian Cookbook Collection. Andrews McMeel Publishing, date unknown.

Lukacs, Paul. American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine. W.W. Norton & Company, 2000.

Pinney, Thomas. A History of Wine in America, Volume I: from the Beginnings to Prohibition. University of California Press, 1989.

Pinney, Thomas. A History of Wine in America, Volume II: from Prohibition to the Present. University of California Press, 2005.

Pinney, Thomas. The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years. University of California Press, 2012.

Robinson, Jancis and Linda Murphy. American Wine: The Ultimate Companion to the Wines and Wineries of the United States. University of California Press, 2013 (originally published by Mitchell Beasley in the UK).

Talbott, Starley. Four Corners: Vineyards and Wineries of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. Plainstar Press, 2009.