Image from a pamphlet advertising Nicholas Longworth's wines, 1866.
Ohio's E & K Wine Co. Catawba label, mid 1800s. (Source: E & K Wine Company).
Old Nick Longworth, father of American winemaking.
Mt. Adams, mid 1800s. Nicholas Longworth owned all of Mt. Adams, where he cultivated Catawba grapes used in making his famous "champagne" known as Golden Wedding. For a brief period Mt. Adams was at the vortex of American winemaking. (Source: Ci
Aerial View of Lake Erie's Isle St. George, home to wine growing since the 1800s and current home of Firelands Winery.
Longworth's pink Catawba a precursor to this? I'm sure he'd be proud.
Arnie Esterer of Markko Vineyard, one of the fixtures of modern Ohio winemaking and a pioneer (with the help of famed Finger Lakes viticulturalist Dr. Konstantin Frank) of the use of Vinifera varieties along the shores of Lake Erie.
The Golden Eagle Winery on Middle Bass Island, Lake Erie, Ohio. Golden Eagle - complete with caves dug out of the island's limestone bedrock and a dance hall - was America's largest winery by 1875. (Source: California Digital Library).
Present day Catawba grapes.
1800s Ohio Wine List featuring Longworth's Sparkling Catawba. A bargain at $2.00/bottle.
Prohibition all but destroyed the American wine business. Those that managed to stay afloat did so by producing sacramental wines, de-alcoholized wines, and fresh grape juice.