Longworth Nicholas

Nicholas Longworth (1783-1863), a lawyer, banker, real estate agent, patron of the arts, horticultural expert and vintner, was one of the first commercial wine producers in the USA. On the basis of his services to viticulture, he was called the "father of American grape culture", the "father of American wine" and "the Western Bacchus". The successful self-made man became one of the richest men in the United States by the middle of the 19th century. In 1823, he tried unsuccessfully to plant European vines on the banks of the Ohio River, but they were all destroyed by phylloxera. The cause was not known at the time. In 1825, he received cuttings of the hybrid variety Catawba from the surveyor John Adlum (1759-1836) and planted them on a large scale on his lands near Cincinnati on the Ohio River in the state of Ohio. In 1842, 480 hectares were already planted with it. Longworth produced the first American sparkling wine "Sparkling Catawba" from it. Catawba wine was even exported to Europe at this time and was well received here. He had his Catawba wine and other wines exhibited at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851.

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Longworth Nicholas

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