Bill wrote:

> I have watched both states wine industry grow. The father of Maryland
> wines was Phillip Wagner who owned Boordy Vineyards. Wagner believed
> in hybrids and American grapes. The father of the Virginia wine
> industry was Ham Mowbray and he was a vinifera advocate.

I worked for the late Dr. Mowbray briefly in the late '80s before
medical school tore me away. I had been (and still am!) an amateur
winemaker and approached him about working for Montbray Wine Cellars for
free in exchange for the experience -- sort of an apprenticeship. He
replied with his usual cockey voice, "naw, I'll pay you".

When I showed up to work the next morning, I was the only one there,
apart from Ham. "Where are all your workers?", I asked. "You're it!", he
exclaimed.

I now understood the concept of a "micro-winery"! <g>

I worked for him for about a year, and for a few years after I would
help with the harvest. I had many conversations with Ham, and learned a
great deal about life, friendship and wine.

I was not aware of the influence he had on Virginia wines, Montbray
being in northern Maryland "close enough to Pennsylvania to spit over
the border -- and we often do!", as he would say. And although he
advocated vinifera, he was very much a strong proponent of hybrids, and
was instrumental in getting seyval (which he stubbornly called by its
actual name, seyve-villard) established in the US. He often told me of
the arguments he had had with Konstantine Frank -- now *there* was a
vinifera advocate -- who seemed convinced that hybrids were evil and
would even cause birth defects (barring fetal alcohol syndrome)! I
don't know if he actually ever said this, as Ham was one for
embellishments. <g>

>
> I can say that I never had a Maryland wine that I thought was worth a
> dollar a bottle. I helped Wagner and Mowbray harvest grapes but their
> wines were just drinkable.

I heartily disagree. Montbray seyve-villard was a top notch wine. I
would stack it against the best California chardonnay. Also, I
celebrated my graduation from residency in '99 with the last bottle of
his '85 cab sauv that I had stashed away. It was one the more memorable
wine experiences of my life, and not just for the nostalgia (I had
helped bottle it, and had hand applied the label -- all such work was
done by hand at Montbray). It had aged beautifully, with overtones of
leaf tobacco.

It's good to hear from someone else (and another Bill!) who knew Dr.
Mowbray. I hear his wife Phyllis is working on a book about the Maryland
wine industry -- from the perspective of the wives of the winemakers. It
should be interesting, albeit for the small audience that would take
notice of such a work.

--
Bill

"Wise fool"
Gandalf, THE TWO TOWERS
-- The Wise will remove 'se' to reply; the Foolish will not--