Born in Switzerland, Jean Jacques Dufour (1763-1827) is considered one of the most important winegrowing pioneers in the USA. He came from a family with a long winemaking tradition. His grandfather and father ran a vineyard in Vevey in the Swiss canton of Vaud, where he gained practical experience as a young man.

As a young man, he had already read about the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) between the English and French in America in the newspapers. According to the report, French soldiers complained about the lack of wine on the New Continent. When he took a closer look at the world map, he realised that parts of North America were located at similar latitudes to the major wine-growing regions of France, Spain and Italy.
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Egon Mark
Diplom-Sommelier, Weinakademiker und Weinberater, Volders (Österreich)