The First Vineyard Established 1799

Swiss immigrant vinedresser John James Dufour established the nation's first commercial winery, The First Vineyard, on a steep slope above the big bend of the Kentucky River across from the large shipping port Quantico, where terraced beds provided ideal growing conditions for the 35 grape species he planted. Incorporated on Nov. 21, 1799, the Kentucky Vineyard Society was the first business incorporated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and in 1803 Dufour and its shareholders achieved the distinction of producing the first commercially made wine in the U.S. The venture ended abruptly in 1809 when a killing freeze destroyed the grape crop, but Dufour's generosity in supplying vines to other early vineyards allowed the Cape grape to contribute to winemaking in the U.S. for years. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison received casks of the vintage in celebration of the burgeoning industry, and the society's subscribers included prominent early Americans such as U.S. Senator Henry Clay, Kentucky Governor James Gerrard, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury George Bibb. Patrick Henry signed the deed to the property, and Daniel Boone surveyed the 633-acre tract in 1785.

Kentucky · United States