Where in the US of A is Vinogirl: 2016?

I recently decided that I didn't know nearly enough about the history of viticulture in the United States, so I have been making an effort to find books that will give me a better understanding of how American winegrape-growing arrived at where it is today.  Not just the genesis of grape growing in California (think Saint Junipero Serra), but in other states also. Thomas Pellechia's Over a Barrel was a fabulous introduction to the homegrown wine industry in New York's Finger Lakes.  Of course the winegrapes grown in the northern part of the state of New York were not the European winegrape-bearing Vitis vinifera that I am familiar with.  No, in the early days, the native grape species grown in vineyards around the Finger Lakes region for wine production were predominantly Vitis labrusca and Vitis rotundifolia.  I have tasted wines produced from these two American Vitis species (anybody remember my Wines of the World class?) and at best the wines produced from those grapes provided entertainment value only.
So where am I going with all of this?  Well, I am travelling at present visiting family members in the Beehive state - yes, I am in Utah once again (and have been since last Thursday).  But I could be forgiven for thinking I was actually in Pennsylvania as I spent some time today hanging out in an Amish store.  And it was in the Apple Creek Amish Market, in Provo, where I spotted some bottles of grape juice made from native American Vitis species.  Yes, an Amish store in this bastion of Mormonism.  But it's not wine, it is just juice made from V. rotundifolia, the Muscadine juice, and V. labrusca, the Concord juice - from Arkansas. Very convoluted. Just thought finding these two juices in an Amish shop was amusing (not amusing enough to buy, though).  Besides, I would have thought I'd have found some mead in the Beehive State.

Oy vey!

And speaking of sweet red wine.

It is with some frequency that Americans, of a certain age, feel the need to share with me tales of their underage drinking adventures.  More often than not Manischewitz was the wine of choice in their teenage exploits. However, honourable mention should go to other wines such as; Boone's Farm, Annie Greensprings, Bali Hai, Blue Nun and Lancers.  Luckily, I grew up drinking wines with vastly different flavour profiles, although, in full disclosure, I have had both Blue Nun and Lancers in the past.

Manischewitz is really not that bad: it has that typical Concord grape nose (like sticking your schnoz into a jar of Concord grape jam), and that typical Concord grape taste (like chewing a massive wad of grape flavoured chewing gum). It is sweet; it is weird; it is better (read, swallowable) than Conundrum.  And if you happen to prefer that your glass of grape juice comes with a little bit of a kick (11% alcohol), then Manischewitz is the drink for you.  And it is kosher.

Truth is, there are some fantastic kosher wines coming out of Israel these days.  I have met a couple of Israeli winemakers (they were visiting TWWIAGE) and have tried some Israeli wines - of note a Yarden, 2010 Merlot (Galilee) - nice folks, decent wines.  And it's not like the Israelis are new to the wine business.  There is a long history of winemaking in Israel, as is reported in this Haaretz.com article (kindly forwarded to me by New Hampshire Wineman), which tells of the unearthing of a 1400 year old wine press in Jerusalem.  Those thirsty Israelis were making wine long before Manischewitz took a native American grape and produced kosher wine in New York state.  I love wine history.