Alchemists of the Vine
True West|May 2023
California's grape growers discovered a gold mine in distilling aged brandy.
SHERRY MONAHAN
Alchemists of the Vine

Until the mid1800s mission grapes were the primary wine-making grape in California. As time progressed, mission grapes were used for brandy, table wine and Angelica, which was a fortified wine. A few 19th-century wine makers experimented with brandy.

Jacob Beringer left his home in Mainz, Germany, in 1868 to start a new life in the U.S. He was enticed by his brother, Frederick, who had sailed to New York five years earlier and constantly wrote home about the grand opportunities in the vast new world. Jacob had enjoyed working in wine cellars in Germany when he was younger and had heard the warm, sunny climate of California was ideal for growing wine grapes. So, in 1870 he traveled West by train, first to San Francisco and then on to Napa Valley. Upon his arrival he discovered rocky, well-drained soils similar to those in his native Rhine Valley. In 1875, the brothers bought 215 acres that had a 28-acre vineyard already planted with white Riesling, Chappellet and grapes to blend Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1876 they founded the Beringer Brothers Winery and crushed 40,000 gallons of wine.

Esta historia es de la edición May 2023 de True West.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición May 2023 de True West.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE TRUE WESTVer todo
Where Did the Loot Go? - This is one of those find the money stories. And it's one that has attracted treasure hunters for more than 150 years.
True West

Where Did the Loot Go? - This is one of those find the money stories. And it's one that has attracted treasure hunters for more than 150 years.

Whatever happened to the $97,000 from the Reno Gang's last heist? Up to a dozen members of the Reno Gang stopped a Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis train at a watering station in southern Indiana. The outlaws had prior intelligence about its main load: express car safes held about $97,000 in government bonds and notes. In the process of the job, one of the crew was killed and two others hurt. The gang made a clean getaway with the loot.

time-read
2 minutos  |
July - August 2024
Hero of Horsepower -  Los Angeles lawman William Hammel tamed one of the West's wildest towns with hard work and horseless carriages.
True West

Hero of Horsepower - Los Angeles lawman William Hammel tamed one of the West's wildest towns with hard work and horseless carriages.

Los Angeles lawman William Hammel tamed one of the West's wildest towns with hard work and horseless carriages.

time-read
7 minutos  |
July - August 2024
From the Basin to the Plains
True West

From the Basin to the Plains

Discover Wyoming on a road trip to Cody, Casper and Cheyenne.

time-read
4 minutos  |
July - August 2024
COLLECTING AMERICAN OUTLAWS
True West

COLLECTING AMERICAN OUTLAWS

Wilbur Zink has preserved the Younger Gang's history in more ways than one.

time-read
3 minutos  |
July - August 2024
Spencer's West
True West

Spencer's West

After the Civil War, savvy frontiersmen chose the Spencer repeating carbine.

time-read
4 minutos  |
July - August 2024
Firearms With a Storied Past
True West

Firearms With a Storied Past

Rock Island gavels off high profits from historic firearms.

time-read
2 minutos  |
July - August 2024
She Means Business!
True West

She Means Business!

An energetic and ambitious woman has come to Lincoln, New Mexico, to restore the town's legendary Ellis Store.

time-read
2 minutos  |
July - August 2024
Ride that Train!
True West

Ride that Train!

HERITAGE RAILROADS KEEP THE OLD WEST ALIVE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

time-read
5 minutos  |
July - August 2024
Saddle Up with a Western
True West

Saddle Up with a Western

Old West fiction and nonfiction are the perfect genres to fill your summer reading list.

time-read
7 minutos  |
July - August 2024
RENEGADES OF THE RAILS
True West

RENEGADES OF THE RAILS

RAILROADS WERE OPEN SEASON FOR OKLAHOMA AND INDIAN TERRITORY OUTLAW GANGS.

time-read
6 minutos  |
July - August 2024