From "AAA World" magazine july/August 2005 edition:

"... in 1619, America's first legislature, the House of Burgesses, formed at
Jamestown Colony, required every male over 20 to plant at least 10 grape
vines. That started America's industrial wine production with a 200-year
head start on California. What's really odd is that the East Coast wines
ever got so far behind."

"Paul E. Lehmann" > wrote in message
...
> From "AAA World" magazine july/August 2005 edition:
>
> "... in 1619, America's first legislature, the House of Burgesses, formed
at
> Jamestown Colony, required every male over 20 to plant at least 10 grape
> vines. That started America's industrial wine production with a 200-year
> head start on California. What's really odd is that the East Coast wines
> ever got so far behind."

Hi Paul,
I suspect Phylloxera and Pierce's disease slowed East Coast vineyard
development down a bit.
Lum
Del Mar, California, USA

Thomas Jefferson tried a few hundred years later and was not very
successful either.

Joe

Joe Sallustio wrote:

> Thomas Jefferson tried a few hundred years later and was not very
> successful either.
>
> Joe

Some people are not very successful even today.
Perhaps viticulture was not TJ's strong suit.
Fortunately, he had others.

Actually, it probably also ended up that tobacco, cotton, and other
crops were much more profitable than grapes/wine.

TJ was an enormous fan of French wines, including meeting a winemaker
named LaTour (you may have heard of his Chateau) while he was
ambassador (least, that's what I remember reading).

Rob

TJ was amazing. I commend his "Notes on Virginia" to any person living in
the US. You will find his writing absolutely astounding.

--
billb http://www.themeatrix.com/
Every man has his price except the honest man. You get him for
nothing.IITYWYBAD

"

Lum wrote:

>
> "Paul E. Lehmann" > wrote in message
> ...
>> From "AAA World" magazine july/August 2005 edition:
>>
>> "... in 1619, America's first legislature, the House of Burgesses, formed
> at
>> Jamestown Colony, required every male over 20 to plant at least 10 grape
>> vines. That started America's industrial wine production with a 200-year
>> head start on California. What's really odd is that the East Coast wines
>> ever got so far behind."
>
> Hi Paul,
> I suspect Phylloxera and Pierce's disease slowed East Coast vineyard
> development down a bit.
> Lum
> Del Mar, California, USA

Perhaps, but it should not have been a problem with native varieties.
Perhaps the slow down was due more to religious intolerance for alcohol.
Just a theory, who knows.

I think I read somewhere that even apple orchards were almost wiped out at
one time in the east because of the bible thumpers objection to hard cider.