A History of Iowa Wine: Vines on the Prairie

by John Peragine

Iowa has a history with grapevines that goes back more than a century. New York lawyer Hiram Barney obtained a tract of land in southeast Iowa as part of the Half-Breed program following the American Indian Wars and created the White Elk Winery. German settlers in Amana tended community vineyards for communal wines. Before Prohibition, the Council Bluffs Grape Growers Association grew grapes and shipped them eastward by the ton. In the early 1900s, the state was among the nation's top producers of grapes. Pesticides, weather and government subsidies ended the time of the vines of the prairie until their recent return. Author John N. Peragine details the rise, fall and resurgence of the industry in the Hawkeye State.

128 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2019

About the author

John Peragine is an author of over fourteen books. The Secrets of the Twilight Djinn series was written as a bedtime story for his son Max to cope with medical issues he was facing as a little boy. John is a full-time ghostwriter who lives with his son, wife, and a menagerie of animals on his vineyard overlooking the Mississippi River.

Reviews

[Lynn Scroggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our collection.

[Michael Skinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. The book is divided into short histories of different Iowa wine producers/regions. The three principal producers are the White Elk Vineyard in Eastern Iowa, The council Bluffs area, and the Amana Colonies. If you are interested about the cultivation of grapes in the Upper Midwest, this is a great source.

[Zhi Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regional history that is well researched and full of details. The first three chapters contained too much personal histories and was not well written. However, the history and the biographies were interesting. The fourth chapter was better written but too source text heavy. The fifth chapter was the most enjoyable (perhaps of my affection for the Amana Colonies and their wines) and should serve as the model for the other chapters of the book.