So I peruse my wine rack as I pull my first all nighter since the birth of my son. Sounds strange but my little guy was born jaundiced and slept the first three months of his life. Anyway, I’m up.  4 o’ clock tomorrow morning I am hosting a Pony Express breakfast at my local museum. It’s the 150^th anniversary of the Pony Express and it got me thinking about wine of the 1860s.

I live in Wyoming. I know back in the day whiskey was common but 1848 saw the beginning of the Gold Rush as well as the Californian grape rush. Many disillusioned miners actually began growing grapes. So what Californian wines were available for the weary riders after they arrived at the home station along the trail?

Well let’s discuss some of the wineries that were already established and established during the period. The American Pony Express carried mail overland by horse and rider from April 1860 to October/November 1861. Well, if we are talking wine in 1861 we are talking about California and Agoston Haraszthy, the so called “father of modern viticulture in California.”

In 1861, established Sonoma Valley vintner and wine writer, Haraszthy was sent by the state of California to Europe. His task was to bring European grape varietals to the hills of California’s wine country. He bought 300 different varieties back to the States in the form of 100,000 grapevines. So as the young men of the Pony Express crossed the five states of the mail route carrying letters at $5 an ounce, Haraszthy was carrying a weight of California’s grape industry back from Europe.

Other important wine makers of the era include Charles LeFranc and the Almaden Vineyards. Paul Masson was LeFranc’s son in law. Karl Wente, Charles Wetmore and Jacob Beringer of Beringer wineries also established their vineyards during the period. Charles Krug’s famous vineyard began during this time and still lives on like the rest of these early pioneers of the grape.

As soon as American wine was established, along came Prohibition. The Pony Express lasted only 18 months. And yet today the wines of California are still known throughout the world and the Pony Express is riding again 150 years after it was surpassed by the transcontinental railroad.  Just shows you that history moves quickly but American ingenuity endures.

I’ll settle on finishing a little red from Washington State so I can take the bottle to recycling. I’d love some bottles of red wine dating back to the 1860s on my wine rack. Of course I’m sure a single bottle costs thousands and the likelihood of me ever tasting one is slim to never.

Oh well, at least in a few hours I get to greet the men and women crossing five states in ten days bringing American history to life. I’m sure I’ll start the day with strong coffee but perhaps finish it with a bottle of red wine. Something historic sounding and Western.

Well, if I can stay awake long enough to uncork anything that is.