Good Grape Wine Company

August 25 2006

The American Vine-Dresser’s Guide

The American Vine-Dresser’s Guide, 1826, Chapter 2 pages 30  -  33.

Here, the author, John James Dufour, comments on the Cape grape a native grape to North America that, here, is speculated to have been imported from Africa.  Dufour continues to comment on its suitability to drink and the ongoing struggle to introduce European vine cuttings.  Interestingly, and amusingly, he notes the bias many had at the time for French wines versus domestic wines.

Considering all I have said above and that it may bepossible that in Pennsylvania some of theCape grapes may be now growing wild in the woods, having been sowed there by the birds, which have takenthem from where they were cultivated; for it is past30 years sinceMr. Legaux got it at Spring Mill, Ithink to be sufficiently authorized tobelieve, that the Cape is the only one we have in the United States to saycompletely successful; is an imported grape; and Mr. Legaux having asserted that it came from Africa, it ought to bebelieved until proven of the contrary, and Mr. M’Mahon, in his gar­dening, speaks of it as afact beyond doubt. The question nowremains to know from what place grapes cameto the Cape of Good Hope; for theDutch, who planted the vines there, could carry none from their own country: Portugal, Teneriffe, and the Canary Islands are probably the place from whence the Cape of Good Hope has been provided with that precious plant; and I have read somewhere, that they had much troubleat first to make their vines flourish; it requiring all the phlegmatic patienceof a Dutchman, to bring it to a successful end.

Chaptal tellsus in the Dictionary of agricul­ture, that the Burgundy grapewas planted there, for the purpose of having the same wine, but that ina few years, the grapes grew quite differ­ent, being large in the bunchand in the berries, and the juice so extraordinary rich, that it could not flow from the press without theaddition of water. I was told also, when at Bordeaux, thatthe same Burgundy grape, planted in the vicinity of that town, underwent a total change, andmade a quite different wine. Although this Cape grape, is a coarse fruit, or,as it is said, a wild one, it is nevertheless a very precious plant to the United States, and well worth theatten­tion of all good citizens; if I had not met with thatgrape, the cultivation of the Vine would be in these western countries, and, perhaps, in the United States, very near asit was before; for I would myself give up the job as imprac­ticable; but we mayanticipate the hope that theclimate of ourcountry will gradually change and become more congenial to good grapes. I have seen with great pleasure, in the AmericanFarmer, that in York County, in Pennsylvania, someof the European vines that I tried in vain,are now doing very well there.

The additional trouble andexpense attending the culture of the grape and the making of the wine; as wellas the time the vine dresserhas to wait for its produce; the large preliminary expenses, for cellar, press,and vessels to the makingand storing the wine, the patience to await itsmaturity, are sufficient to be dreaded by beginners in the world, and in thewoods, too, are of themselves sufficient, without the addition of the fear; that such a coarse grape would at last not be fit for to make palatable wine: tothat may beadded another obstacle, that the first vine dressers of a country have toencounter; it isthe prejudice against home-made, of a people who areused to imported wines only, which are or ought tobe of the best sort, and of the strong­est,naturally or by mixture, with spirits, to supportthe transportation; the home grown winewhich is toappear first among such a people must resemble exactly the one he is used to, to engage him to pay for it: Such was our case at first, but we gradually found a market for all we made; I saw a greatmany, who would at first not taste the Swiss wine, because it was not as strongas the imported Madeira, which is about one-third of brandy, or as sweet asMalaga wine, nor as mild as it would be, if kept only one half the age of theimported one, but having drank of it a few times for company’s sake, they havebecome great lovers of it; so that, by the by, the consumption having prettywell kept pace with the product, old American wine has always been scarce.

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