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The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare detail of the 1855 - wine book.
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  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare detail of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare illustrated detail of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare captivating detail of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare highlight from the volume of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare example from the work of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare illustrated detail of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare image from the book of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare detail of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare illustrated detail of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare captivating detail of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare highlight from the volume of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare example from the work of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare illustrated detail of the 1855 - wine book.
  • The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making by Buchanan, Robert, a rare image from the book of the 1855 - wine book.
The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making

Catawba’s Spark: Buchanan’s Manual from Cincinnati’s Champagne Moment.

Buchanan, Robert

The Culture Of The Grape And Wine Making
With An Appendix Containing Directions For The Cultivation Of The Strawberry By N. Longworth.

1855, Cincinnati, Moore, Wilstach, Keys And Co.

5th or later printing

$90 USD

Overview

First published in 1852, Buchanan’s manual quickly became one of the foundational works on American viticulture. This fifth edition from 1855 reflects both the book’s popularity and the optimism of its era, when Cincinnati, driven by Nicholas Longworth’s sparkling Catawba, stood as the unlikely capital of American winemaking, especially champagne.

Inside the book

The book offers practical instruction on vineyard placement, soil preparation, planting, pressing, fermentation, fining, and the economics of grape growing. It includes detailed statistics on vineyard costs, wine sales, and native grape varieties, making it both a blueprint and a record of early American wine ambition.
Particularly notable are its pre-phylloxera insights into viticulture, drawn from discussions within the Cincinnati Horticultural Society. The text praises a “sparkling Catawba rivalling the best champagne” and incorporates lessons from the unusually abundant 1853 harvest. Among its more striking recommendations are avoiding destemming (since tannin from stems helps clarify wine) and keeping the final press separate from the better-quality cuvée. Elegant trellising illustrations further enrich the work.
This edition also carries an appendix by Nicholas Longworth on strawberry cultivation, remarkable for its experimental rigor. It investigates whether pistillate strawberries can yield quality fruit and explores how the plant’s sexuality affects flavor and productivity.
This volume remains a culturally important landmark in American wine literature, one of the first manuals born from native grape success, and a charming relic of the effervescent hopes that once flowed along the Ohio River.

Why La Fenice chose it

Because before Napa, there was Cincinnati. This pre-phylloxera manual captures the fizz of America's first sparkling wine craze, when Catawba bubbles and Ohio dreams filled the glass.
Condition Report

Pp. [1] f.e., [2], x, 9-142, [2], [1] r.e.

Original green cloth binding, with decorative blind-stamped border and with gilt lettering on spine. Pencil and pen signature and sticker from previous owners on the inside cover page. Some foxing mainly in the margins. Slight wear at head and tail of spine. Very good condition.

Dimensions (inches): 7.5 x 5 x 0.5
About the author

Robert Buchanan (1785–1873), Scottish physician and horticultural writer; author of early works on grape culture in Britain.

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