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The Makers of American Wine

A Record of Two Hundred Years
by Thomas Pinney (Author)
Hardcover eBook
Price: $36.95 / £31.00
Publication Date: May 2012
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 311
ISBN: 9780520269538
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Illustrations: 36 b/w photographs
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About the Book

Americans learned how to make wine successfully about two hundred years ago, after failing for more than two hundred years. Thomas Pinney takes an engaging approach to the history of American wine by telling its story through the lives of 13 people who played significant roles in building an industry that now extends to every state. While some names—such as Mondavi and Gallo—will be familiar, others are less well known. These include the wealthy Nicholas Longworth, who produced the first popular American wine; the German immigrant George Husmann, who championed the native Norton grape in Missouri and supplied rootstock to save French vineyards from phylloxera; Frank Schoonmaker, who championed the varietal concept over wines with misleading names; and Maynard Amerine, who helped make UC Davis a world-class winemaking school.

About the Author

Thomas Pinney is Professor of English, Emeritus, at Pomona College. He is the author or editor of several books including the two-volume A History of Wine in America (UC Press). The second volume of this definitive wine history won the 2006 International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for best book on wine, beer, or spirits.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments

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

Notes
Sources and Works Cited
Index

Reviews

“Pinney is a master researcher deeply immersed in the minutiae of the primary-source record, and his prose is lively but, more important, clear-eyed. He has written a book that tracks the tastes of the nation through the people who chased and changed them.”
— Wine Spectator
“This historically important book on American winemaking is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in wine and how its production progressed in two hundred years from very humble, unsuccessful and often disastrous early beginnings to what it is today. . . . [The book] is well written and easy to read.”
— Portland Book Review (2 Copies)
“Pinney is a knowledgeable guide to the social, economic, technological, and even religious factors that have affected Americans’ interest in consuming wine. . . . He has succeeded in providing an engaging and well-written account of the very human history of wine in America.”
— Jrnl Of American History
“Even the most knowledgeable oenophile will find some new information in this entertaining book. Thomas Pinney’s engaging style, coupled with his meticulous research, make this a volume to savor and enjoy.”
— Salinas Californian
“A beautifully written, thoroughly detailed and documented history of the successes and failures in the development of American wine over the past two hundred years. . . . A delightful and thoroughly entertaining book to read. One feels compelled, much as in a murder mystery, to keep reading and not put the book down in order to find out what happens next. Best of all, this is a book that reveals an incredible amount of new and original information.”
— International Wine Review
“History buffs and wine enthusiasts alike can revel in the rich history of American winemaking in the new book The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years . . . [An] engaging and informative read.”
— The Blue Lifestyle Minute
“Pinney . . . writes with an effortless and engaging style, so it is all too easy to find oneself reading at leisure.”
— Wine Wisdom
“Thomas Pinney is the foremost expert on the history of American wine. In this volume, he takes the angle that Americans have been making wine well for 200 years — after 200 years of failure. He writes 13 profiles of Americans who helped this country make that leap to its current state of superb quality.”
— Assoc Press/SF Chronicle
"Highly recomended."
— Wines and Vines
"This book is a major contribution to our understanding of wine history."
— The Scotsman
"An informative and enjoyable read."
— Santé
Praise for Thomas Pinney's A History of Wine in America

“Exhaustively researched….invaluable to serious scholars of the grape. Fascinating reading.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Revealing a sharp eye for detail and a dry, low-key wit, Pinney writes in an engaging style and with remarkable clarity.” —Wine Spectator

“Definitive….an important work of historical literature.” —Wine & Spirits

“An indispensable view of…a remarkable time.” —Decanter