The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine, by Todd Kliman
This is a pretty fascinating book. Technically, it is a history book on a completely obscure topic (the history of a grapevine). But it reads more like a novel that chronicles the history of wine in America. In addition to an entertaining story, I found myself learning about agriculture, wine, and yes, history. The common term, "a new chapter in history" is taken quite literally in this book, where each chapter introduces a new event or character in the story.
To sum up the basics: the New World was promising, not just for expansion and discovery, but as a potential source for new crops. The hunt was on for a good American wine that could rival Europe's wines. For 300 years everyone was disappointed at the quality of wine the native grape (Concord) could produce. Even Thomas Jefferson, for all the things he accomplished in his lifetime, was unable to establish a vineyard that could produce good wine. Even the European grapevines that were brought to America failed.
Enter Dr. Daniel Norton, a medical doctor and amateur horticulturist dabbling in grapevine genetics. Half accidentally, half on purpose, a vine was born at his Virginia farm that was pest-and-disease resistant, and produced grapes that made good wine. As time passed, the vine made it to Missouri, which was set to become America's Napa Valley before California was known for anything but gold, eventually winning a gold medal in an international wine expo in Vienna, and medals in subsequent years as well.
Next chapter up: Prohibition. The vineyards were burned, but bootleggers in Missouri saved some vines in a hidden vineyard. Prohibition was lifted, but Missouri never recovered as a center for wine production, though that is changing today.
The rest of the book finishes the story of the Norton, and its return to its native Virginia. While reading the author's descriptions of the wine, I really got a sense of the spirit of America. To the author, if not to the reader, the Norton wine represents the rugged hardiness, the perseverance of the varied culture, and even the melting pot quality of collective "America." To drink a Norton wine, the book seemed to say to me, is to proudly engage in a patriotic show of love for your country.
Towards the end, I felt a slight shift of focus from historical to almost propagandist writing. However, it was not enough to turn me off to reading, and I felt drawn to the story enough to give the author the benefit of the doubt- that the Norton wine really IS that good. This book's story has all the qualities of a great Hollywood story- a main character (the grape) with a cast of supporting actors who all have unique elements they add to the story. A great victory (the gold medals in Vienna) against affliction from an antagonist (alternately, European wine, California, Nicholas Longworth) and an extreme setback (Prohibition) followed by a come-back. It includes a surprise twist near the end, though not the kind worthy of an M. Night Shyamalan movie. It even has sex appeal, though not in the way most would expect. The characters all have a deep passion and romance for the Norton grape, and a wine which embodies the wildness of early America- well, that's pretty sexy. It makes me wonder why this book has not already been turned into a movie, and the instant answer that comes to mind is the author's inclusion of nine pages of Bibliography which would suggest the research to indicate it is a true story. Hollywood can't stomach true stories.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves obscure history, or history from a new angle, anyone who loves (or likes) wine, wants to learn more about wine, wants to learn about a native American species, supports local business, or just thinks the cover looks cool (the cover ROCKS).
