The Vineyard: The Pleasures and Perils of Creating an American Family Winery
By Louisa Thomas Hargrave
Viking Penguin, 2003
 
To truly understand a wine region is to know about the people at its heart and origins. Louisa and Alex Hargrave were indisputably the pioneers of the Long Island wine industry. Their purchase of a dilapidated potato farm in 1973 would be the unlikely birth of the now celebrated North Fork of Long Island appellation.

The Vineyard is the story of one family’s pursuit of their dreams and the emergence of a world renowned wine region. Louisa Hargrave gives a personal and heartfelt account of her commitment to her family, the farm, and the fulfillment of their dreams. Her book traces the astonishing journey of this founding family as they forge into uncharted viticultural territory against the advice of experts. She shares their experiences of anguish and celebration as they make the transformation from naive idealists to respected vignerons and vintners. From impossibility to reality, Long Island viticulture was established on the hard work and spirit of this dedicated and loving family who heroically rose to the challenges of climate, popular thought and skepticism.