Todd Kliman

[b:The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine|7541936|The Wild Vine A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine|Todd Kliman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440116740l/7541936._SY75_.jpg|9814375] 3 1/2 stars, rounding down

Another book I found in my travels through the donations at my library. Honestly, I thought it would end up being a DNF. Surprisingly [a: Kliman|3309037|Todd Kliman|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] hooked me.

The book tells the story of a single grape, The Norton, and it's history through the ages. I enjoyed the extensive research by the author, and it has sparked my interest enough to find a bottle of Norton's grape and see if it stands up to the author's praise.… (plus d'informations)

If you don't live in Missouri, you may not know how big the wine industry is here, especially in Hermann. I do live in Missouri, and I never miss the MO WineFest, Chocolate Wine Trail, or any invitation/opportunity to head down Highway 70 to Hermann. One wine that is big in MO is the Norton (in fact, there is an annual Norton Wine Trail event). I am not a HUGE Norton fan, although I do drink it occasionally, and my brother and my niece are rabid Norton fans.
So when I saw that a book had been published about the history of the Norton grape, and that the author would be at a wine-tasting/book-signing, I grabbed my niece and off we went.
The wine was good, Todd Kliman was interesting, but the book...how does one write a 260 page book about a grape?
Well, Kliman did it, and he did it well. He tells of Dr. Daniel Norton's creation of a hybrid grape that is hardy in the American climate (specifically Virginia) and still makes a good, drinkable wine. He tells of the Germans who settled in Hermann (a lovely town--you should visit) and their decision to grow grapes, including the Norton. He provides some interesting insight into repercussions of Prohibition that I never thought about, and about the resurgence of the American wine industry in the 1970's. Through it all, he has adventures with Jenni McCloud in Virginia, the Norton's fiercest champion.
All in all, a fascinating book about, yes, a grape.… (plus d'informations)

Kliman posits that "Norton" is the only native American grape that produces wine comparable to the traditional European vinifera grapes. He then traces the grapes origin and and the historical attempts to make great wine from it. He begins with Thomas Jefferson's repeated failed attempts to get European varietals to grow in Virginia. Toward the end of Jefferson's life a medical doctor turned amatuer horticulturalist (Dr Norton) clones the native grape that becomes known as Norton. He has limited success in promoting the grape. Later, German colonists settle some 60 miles west of Saint Louis, forming the town of Hermann. Finding the land unsuitable for crops other than viticulture, the settlers begin growing grapes and producing wine. One farmer discovers the Norton grape and his wines take off. Although Prohibition devastated the wine industry nationwide, Hermann is still the center of Missouri wine country and many wineries are producing great red wines from the Norton grape. Kliman is an excellent writer, and he interweaves history with the personal lives of the people involved with the grape. I have been drinking wine for over 35 years, and have read extensively about it without ever hearing of this grape. The book makes me want to visit Missouri wine country on a tasting tour.… (plus d'informations)