Did you know that Thomas Jefferson can be considered the founder of the American wine industry? It’s true. Here’s the story.
Thomas Jefferson’s Early Adventures with Wine
At an early age, Jefferson was exposed to fine wines when he lived with and studied under George Wythe, fellow signer of the Declaration of Independence. As Jefferson progressed through his career, he became the US Diplomat to France where he was exposed to an even greater variety of wines, from Germany to France to Spain, and beyond.
Jefferson clearly relished his wine adventures (which he paid for himself as a private citizen), and kept copious notes and details on his tasting experiences, preferences and wine descriptions.
Jefferson made friends with wine procurers and preferred to buy estate-bottled wine and avoid middlemen. He became so knowledgeable about wine, in fact, that he was the official wine purchaser for George Washington when he became President.
Jefferson’s Thoughts About American Wine
Jefferson had a gut feeling that America could also produce world-class wines, perhaps not the same ones as in Europe, but ones that are equally good. In 1773, he met Philip Mazzei from Italy, who also had a dream of producing wine in America. The two planted vines on Colle (“little hill”), the property Mazzei bought next to Monticello (“little mountain”). This is considered the very first vineyard in America. Their initial attempts were thwarted not only by phylloxera and other pests but also by the American Revolution. Mazzei went off to fight, and Hessian horses trampled most of the fledgling vines planted on Colle.
While Jefferson’s attempts to grow wine could not be deemed successful, he kept trying, all the while continually exposing his fellow countrymen and visiting dignitaries to the world of fine wine. Revived in earnest in 1981, incorporating modern growing and cultivation methods with old-style espalier trellising according to Jefferson’s notes, his dream that Monticello become a wine-producing estate finally came to fruition.
Today, Monticello produces 6,000 to 8,000 cases of purely Virginia-sourced wines, including Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Johannisberg Riesling, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Rosé, and others. It is part of the Monticello Wine Trail.
There is so much more to Jefferson’s love affair with wine and his influence on American wine cultivation and education. For further reading, try Thomas Jefferson on Wine, by John Hailman.
