Books for the Wine Lover in Your Life

¬From the banks of the Delaware River to the shores of Lake Erie, the fields and hillsides of Pennsylvania are home to a rich tradition of winemaking. Though both William Penn and Benjamin Franklin advocated for the production of wine, it was not until 1787 that Pierre Legaux founded the first commercial vineyard in the state and the nation. Veteran wine journalists Hudson Cattell and Linda Jones McKee offer more than just a taste of the complex story of the Pennsylvania wine industry--from the discovery of the Alexander grape and the boom of Erie County wineries in the nineteenth century to the challenges of Prohibition and the first farm wineries that opened in the 1970s. Join Cattell and McKee as they explore the Keystone State's distinct wine regions and tap the cask on their robust history.

New Jersey, the fifth-largest wine-producing state in the country, has been making wine since 1864. While perhaps not as well known as other wine-producing states, New Jersey is home to many premier varieties. Award-winning chardonnay, syrah, marechal foch, viognier, traminette, merlot, cabernet, and dozens of others are produced in the state. Particularly unique to New Jersey wineries is an array of fruit wines, such as raspberry, cherry, and blueberry, which are exported all over the world. Because of the climate and conditions of the state, New Jersey wines are most often compared by viticulturists and enologists to the wines of France and Italy. From Cape May County up to the northernmost tip of Sussex County, New Jersey wineries offer more than 200 varieties of wine.

New Jersey has produced wine since the 1700s and throughout the history of the state. Grab a glass and enjoy the history of the grape in the Garden State.

The finely aged story of New Jersey wine is older than the United States itself. As early as 1767, the colony's wines were garnering awards from London's Royal Society of the Arts. The vineyards continued to grow through some of the country's most turbulent times. In 1864, at the height of the Civil War, Renault Winery was founded, and it continues to operate today. While Prohibition nearly destroyed the industry, in 1933, the founding of Tomasello's Winery in Hammonton helped revive it. In 1980, only seven wineries were in operation, but by 2011, the state boasted over thirty-four--many of which are winning awards in some of the world's most respected wine competitions. So grab a glass and join winemaking expert Sal Westrich as he tracks the history of New Jersey wine, accompanied by photos by John Muth.

The roots of Maryland winemaking are surprisingly deep. The state's first known vines were planted in 1648, and a later Marylander, John Adlum, established his place as the father of American viticulture. In the twentieth century, post-Prohibition pioneers like Philip Wagner and Ham Mowbray nurtured a new crop of daring and innovative winemakers who have made the state an up-and-coming wine region. Author Regina Mc Carthy travels through the red tobacco barns of southern Maryland and the breezy vineyards of the Eastern Shore all the way to the Piedmont Plateau and the cool mountain cellars of the west in search of the state's finest wines and their stories. Join Mc Carthy as she traces over 350 years of the remarkable and robust history of Maryland wines.

In 1818, Deacon Elijah Fay planted the first grape vines of the Lake Erie Wine Country, located in the Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt. Fay's relatives planted the premier Concord vineyards in Brocton, New York, where the mighty Concord grape thrived. Vineyards were planted along the shore of Lake Erie in both New York and Pennsylvania, attracting the likes of Dr. Charles Welch, who relocated his grape juice operations to Westfield, New York, in 1897. Regional wineries sprung up during the grape boom of the 19th century but went out of business due to Prohibition in 1919. While New York permitted commercial wineries after Prohibition, it was not until 1968 when wineries were allowed to reopen in Pennsylvania. Today, the Grape Belt spans almost 60 miles along the southern shore of Lake Erie. Quaint towns dot the Grape Belt, which is now home to the Grape Discovery Center and boutique wineries that welcome thousands of visitors each year.

For more than 150 years, Finger Lakes Wine Country has played a major role in American wine history.

At its heart are the four deepest Finger Lakes, part of a group of 11 long, narrow lakes in central New York. There, nestled among Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga Lakes, farmers began planting vineyards in the 1830s. In 1860, the Pleasant Valley Wine Company became America's first bonded winery, turning Keuka Lake into a busy shipping hub for fresh grapes and award-winning champagnes. Other wineries soon followed, as did railroads and basket factories. Early 20th century business was good until Prohibition forced wineries to reinvent themselves. In the 1950s and 1960s, innovators like Charles Fournier, Dr. Konstantin Frank, and Walter S. Taylor experimented with hybrid and European vinifera grape varieties. But by the 1970s, local grape growers faced extinction; it would take a grassroots movement and landmark legislation in 1976 to bring about a Finger Lakes wine renaissance.

Oenophile Tom Russ presents the remarkable story of Dr. Konstantin Frank, the father of Finger Lakes wine.

Dr. Konstantin Frank forever changed the palate of American wine. Forced from his home in Soviet Ukraine during World War II, he was astounded by the terroir when he arrived in the Finger Lakes region. Against popular notions, he believed that the vinifera grapes that produced some of Europe's and California's finest wines would prosper in New York. He proved his detractors wrong, and by sharing his knowledge freely with others, Konstantin's innovativeness has allowed the region to produce some of the world's finest Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and other varietals. Four generations of Franks have continued his legacy, and their winery has won record numbers of prestigious awards every year.