NILES' WEEKLY REGISTER -- Saturday, August 23, 1817
American Wine, The Indiana Register, published at Vevay, informs us that the Vineyards in the vicinity of that place, have the brightest prospect of rewarding the labors of the vine dressers. The luscious fruit is in great perfection; and it is cultivated extensively by the Swiss settlers -- whose numbers will probably be greatly increased by the late emigrations. It is pleasing to learn that these cultivators of the vine on the Ohio, find it a very profitable business.
But the following extract of a letter to the editor, from another point on the Ohio, is not encouraging.
"My vine is improving, and your bottle will certainly come by the first safe opportunity.
"Since the latter end of May, we have had rain almost every day, and our grapes (that weathered the frost) are rotting very fast. I still expected to save about 100 gallons, but the weather continues wet and seems to get worse and worse -- I am afraid there will be none left -- it appears as if the elements have conspired against us since we planted the vine; -- or else the god Bacchus, unlike the king of Portugal, is determined not to transplant his empire from Europe to America."