High praise from a connoisseur of French wines. However Jefferson also held a number of American wines in high regard, including Cape and Catawba. If around today, the Dufours would be considered movers and shakers, as many of them held public offices in the community. They were likely responsible for Switzerland County being one of only 15 Indiana counties settled before Indiana was admitted into statehood in 1816. When sufficient public monies couldn't be raised, they donated much of the land on which the county seat was built.
Historical texts indicate other viticultural activity around the state.
The Vincennes area, former site of a French fort, boasts the first recorded wine production in our state around the mid-18th century. A book covering the history of the Indiana wine and grape industry is underway. The book will review Indiana s wine industry from the early 1800 s into its current state.