Notes From the Vintner Welcome to our column. We hope that you will return to learn interesting notes on wine, and related subjects. Wine is a great gift from God to be used for the enjoyment of man. It is a food, and should be treated as such. It is meant to lift up the body and lighten the soul. 8/1/00 It is early 1860’s….wine making on the move. Wineries had started to take hold in the new nation. People were drinking American wines, and the market was growing. The wines had some respectability, and truthfully, they now had quality. In the White House, Mary Todd Lincoln was serving American wines. There were about twenty states where vineyards and wineries had taken hold and were doing well. Now with all the wine being made, there arose a need for barrels. The son of a sea captain, Walter Taylor, started making barrels at Bully Hill. New York had a fast growing winery industry, and Mr. Taylor put into place a program of credit for barrels to the wineries. As the industry out ran the demand for wine, Mr. Taylor was forced to collect on the debts. The wineries more often had only wine to clear the debt. Mr. Taylor and his three sons soon found themselves deep in the wine business. The Taylor family was good at business, and soon took advantage of the situation. Creating the largest winery of its time. Now in Ozarks of Missouri, about 1860-1880’s, the time was ripe for growing grapes, and making wine. Catawba was on a roll, producing large yealds in the good soils of Missouri. However, Black Rot soon attacked the vineyards, and proved to be a tough enemy. Many of the vineyard owners took out their vines. Then a new grape, the Concord entered the state, selling for $5.00 a vine found some interest in the vineyards that had been fighting Black Rot. The Concord vine could do battle with the Black Rot, as it was hybrid. A new grape, Cynthiana, or Norton became important in the wine industry. Cynthiana, a native grape, and Concord lead the way for a Missouri come back. . So many vines were planted, that Missouri became the leading grape producing state in the Union by 1865. Robert G Cowie Wine Maker Email The Vintner Vintner Notes Archive - 7/01/00 Vintner Notes Archive - 6/01/00 Vintner Notes Archive - 5/01/00 Vintner Notes Archive - 4/01/00