Wine Heritage: The Story of Italian-American Vintners

By Dick Rosano

Mondavi, Martini, Sebastiani, Gallo, Bargetto and Perelli-Minetti. Who could deny the importance of Italians to the development of America's wine industry? It is little known that Italians have been planting vineyards and making wine in America since the early colonial days when Filippo Mazzei was the vineyard consultant for Thomas Jefferson. Grapes were planted and nurtured in virtually every corner of America where Italians settled. Wine making was as sacrosanct as making bread or pasta. Here is the story of Italian immigrants whose descendants now dominate American wine making. How they struggled and endured. How they persisted in the face of Prohibition and facilitated legislation permitting home wine making of 200 gallons per family. The intrigue, the feuds, the love affairs and financial triumphs are all in this authenticated history from the earliest days of America to the new Italian/American wine makers.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1891267132
• ISBN13: 9781891267130
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Wine Appreciation Guild
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Wine and Winemakers

Dick Rosano is an Italian-American winemaker, and, thanks to his considerable talents as a writer, he is able to share both his love for his heritage and his love for the world of win in this delightful book. He traces the history of winemaking in the United States, giving credit where due and reveals some details hitherto unpublicized. A good read and a great gift for anyone who shares his heritage, a love of history, or a love of wine.

Great history of Italian-American Wine

Dick Rosano has written an in-depth account of one of the marvels of American wine: The influence that Italian-Americans have had on the development and history of the industry. Without this Italian influence, in culture and winemaking, American wine wouldn't be what it is today. And without this book, Americans wouldn't understand the impact that these families had on our winemaking culture over the last 300 years. It's a must if you want to understand the evolution of American wine.

A great history of Italian winemaking in America

This is a fantastic reference book. I had no idea what a elaborate web the italians have weaved in the US. Everyone knows about the Mondavi and Gallo families but who would have thought that so many italian winemakers exist in so many states. An added feature of this book is the winery profile section in the back. This is not typical for a history book. You get the history and the acumen of a very knowledgeable wine reviewer who used to write for the Washington Post. I was a devoted Rosano reader when he wrote for the Post and really felt the quality of wine writing for that paper declined significantly when he left. This compelling story doesn't include wine reviews but adds an interesting aspect above and beyond the average history book. I am a winemaker and read just about anything I can get my grape stained hands on about the subject. This is a book for everyone interested in the noble grape or just loves drinking the stuff. Take my advice and run, don't walk to the store to get it, then leave it out somewhere on a table and pick it up from time to time while enjoying a nice class of Sangiovese.