The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine

The author has certainly done his research, one cannot fault him on that account. And parts of the book, some of the story of Dr. Norton himself and parts of the sections focused on Hermann, MO, were written in an informative, straightforward, reportorial style. But ... the breathless hyperbole, the almost purple prose of much of the rest of the book could only be choked down with some difficulty. I'm hopeful that the author's restaurant reviews and food writing are calmer, more considered pieces of writing. The story here is a good one, although, contrary to the subtitle, it is not the Untold Story of American Wine, it is a piece, a rather small piece, in fact, of the American wine story. Kliman is enthusiastic, a good thing, but needs to rein in his grandiose and overblown style (and often unnecessary use of foul language) to make his writing more readable.

I read The Wild Vine as a wine fan (connoisseur is too grand a term here) who reads voraciously about wines and their history (especially American wines) and drinks a wide range of wines. Having already read much about the Norton grape, I'd tried a bottle from the St. James Winery, in St. James, Missouri, and was primed to learn more. Kliman's book was spot on, at least for my tastes, both for what it says about the grape and for what it says about people and places related to it. Even readers who are not especially into wine might enjoy the stories of people and of local and regional history, and the backbone narrative that forms the present-day arc of the story, intertwined with wide-ranging history and locations.The book has an arc of almost novelistic proportions, with some real surprises along the way. (No spoilers here. You'll have to read it.) As a bonus, Kliman provides the best discussion I have seen of the relationship between Norton and Cynthiana. (My bottle of St. James Cynthiana awaits.) That's wine-geek stuff, I grant you.I'll be ordering a few bottles from some of the wineries featured in the book -- Horton and Chrysalis for sure -- to make my own judgments and comparisons. If at all possible, my wife and I will be visiting both of those as well, armed with considerable context thanks to The Wild Vine.FYI, for folks who read the book on Kindle, as I did: at the end, keep paging PAST the "rate this book" page to find the bibliography and acknowledgments. They are included.As for that St. James Norton, FWIW, it was certainly distinctive in comparison to the wines I am used to from California, France, Italy, Spain, and South Africa (and a few other places -- even Michigan). While it was speaking the same language as those others, it was in a distinctively different dialect. I can understand why it would not be to everyone's taste. (But then, neither are over-oaked California Chardonnays and highly alcoholic, intense California Zinfandels and Cabernets.)

A very informative read, although the author tended to zig-zag through the historic timeline which made it a bit hard to follow. Example, who was Hussman, who was Stark, and where exactly did they fit it? Was it Missouri, was it Virginia, California. Aside from that, I found the story of the quest to make good wines from native grapes to be fascinating. The influence of the Germans in Missouri, the damage done by the temperance movement, by Prohibition, are topics I dis not know much about. The personal story of the modern day Virginia winemaker and her personal quests for identity and great wines from native grapes gave the book a unique angle.

Most know of Thomas Jefferson's passion for wine and the desire for an American viticulture, few know the work of Richmond's Dr. Norton who created America's grape from Virginia vines during Jefferson's lifetime, starting a chain of events leading through Missouri to today's Napa Valley vineyards - but after reading Kliman's well-written book the reader will be grateful not only to Dr. Norton, but also to those few vineyards who are making this wonderful American wine (again), rather than trying to be good at mimicking European wine.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Mr. Kliman’s turns of phrase are poetic as he explores the provenance of the Norton vine, and develops the historical characters into living, engaging personas. We are now planning trips to Hermann Missouri and to the Chrysalis Vineyards, Middleburg VIrginia to “meet” Norton in person. Thank you Mr. Kliman for giving us new destinations and a thirst to learn more about America’s native vine.

I live in Alabama, and recently tried a Norton wine from a local vineyard and winery. It was complicated and hard to pin down, so of course I began researching: a real, non-Concord, non-Muscadine that could grow in our climate, and produce a profound and interesting red wine? Tell me more!There's much to read online about the Norton grape and its history, but none told so well as Todd Kliman does in The Wild Vine. Kliman's story, both of researching the grape itself, its creator, and its most vocal modern advocate, is at times moving, sad, funny and dramatic. There is tragedy in Norton's story, as in any human endeavor, but there is also a sense of how heavy the weight of history must be when it all but erases an achievement like the Norton grape from not only modern awareness, but almost from history itself.The Wild Vine spends much time on the personalities that affected the grape's journey, including that of Kliman himself, but in the process the grape's story shows through as the unifying thread. The book is a good example of a Chatwinesque travelogue, though the travel is (mostly) through a plant's history rather than a region's geography.My one criticism of the book is that it can become a bit *too* self-involved at points, exposing Kliman as a bit more of a Romantic than is seemly, but these bits are short, and don't detract meaningfully in my opinion.All in all I found The Wild Vine to be an engrossing read, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys wine and/or the more quirky side of history.