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Authors Unearth States' Wine Histories New books detail the pasts of Maryland and Connecticut as well as Thomas Jefferson's vines By Hudson Cattell history press of Charleston, S.C. The fourth and fifth books are now available in the publishing firm's ongoing series, this time covering the history of the wines of Maryland and Connecticut. In 2009 The history press released its first book, "a history of Virginia Wines," followed by the histories of wine in Michigan and north Carolina. (See "Notable Books of the Past Year" in the February 2011 issue of Wines & Vines.) each of the volumes in this series is a paperback between 125 and 150 pages in length, with several dozen black and white photographs and a 16-page color photo insert. H istories of wine in individual states in the east are appearing more frequently these days, and much of the credit goes to The Full-bodied Maryland The author of "Maryland Wine: a full- Bodied history" is regina Mc Carthy, marketing coordinator for the Maryland Win- eries association. She starts with the earliest attempts at winemaking in the colony, dating back to 1648, when Tenis palee may have made wines from four kinds of grapes. She devotes one chapter to Waterloo_Nov10.qxp 8/26/10 11:36 AM Page 1 the contributions of two modern giants of the industry, philip Wagner and hamilton Mowbray, whose wineries opened in 1945 and 1966, respectively. In 1974 Boordy Vineyard and Montbray Wine Cellars were the only two wineries in Maryland. By 2000, there were 11 wineries in the state. By the time the book was written in 2011, the number had increased to 47. (Their names are listed in the back of the book.) Mc Carthy profiles the older wineries at greater length than those that have opened since 2000. While most states have had problems getting favorable legislation passed to enable their wine industries to succeed, few started from as low a point as Maryland. It took until 2010 for a winery modernization act to be passed, and Mc Carthy does a good job of tracing legislative activity up to the passage of direct-shipping legislation in May 2011. WineEast Wines & Vines JULY 2012 61