Mustang wine

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Mustang wine is a type of red wine made with mustang grapes, Vitis mustangensis, in Texas.

History

Prior to the American Civil War of 1861–1865, Thomas Affleck (1812–1868), a Scottish immigrant and nurseryman who became a Southern planter, made mustang wine on his Glenblythe Plantation located in Gay Hill, Washington County, Texas, and advertised it for commercial sale.[1] He described it as "a pleasant and wholesome table drink" and "a tonic for patients recovering from prostrating fevers, and for Females who may have been long in delicate health."[1] Moreover, he published a recipe, which was used by others and commented upon in the Southern press, as in the Southern Cultivator.[2]

The wine was sometimes used as a way to thank guests and friends. For example, Dr

San Antonio, Texas in 1865 and again in 1866–67, offered it to guests in the 1860s.[3] Additionally, pioneer explorer Gideon Lincecum (1793–1874) once gave a bottle and the recipe to geologist George Getz Shumard (1823–1867) to thank Shumard for sending him a copy of his pamphlet entitled, Notice of Fossils from the Permian Strata of Texas to New Mexico.[4] Presbyterian minister James Weston Miller (1815–1888), a Confederate chaplain and founder of Live Oak Female Seminary in Gay Hill, also made mustang wine every fall.[5]

In the nineteenth century, mustang wine was thought to prevent malaria, and it was often given to children.[6]

Recipe

As described in a recipe published in 1871, mustang grapes would first have to be crushed and left to

ferment for twelve to fifteen hours.[7] The next step is to remove the hulls and keep the juice.[7] Sugar then needs to be added.[7] After letting it rest for a day, it is transferred into a barrel, where sugar (and sometimes white whiskey) are added.[7]

Cultural references

Mustang wine has also been alluded to in popular culture. For example, country music singer Steve Earle, a Texas native, has a song called Mustang Wine.[8][9][10] Later, singer Carl Perkins recorded another version of Mustang Wine.[8][9][10] The song was scheduled to be recorded by Elvis Presley, but he failed to go to the studio to record it.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b C. Allan Jones, Texas Roots: Agriculture and Rural Life Before the Civil War, College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 2005, pp. 148–149 [1].
  2. ^ Southern Cultivator, Volume 18, pp. 154–155.
  3. ^ H. C. Williams, 'Native Grapes of Arkansas and Texas', in Annual Reports of the Department of Agriculture, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1860, p. 35 [2].
  4. ^ Lois Wood Burkhalter, Gideon Lincecum, 1793–1874: A Biography, Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 2010, p. 181 [3].
  5. ^ Robert Finney Miller, 'Early Presbyterianism in Texas as Seen by Rev. James Weston Miller, D. D.', The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 2, 1915, p. 165 [4].
  6. ^ Diana Severance, Deep Roots, Strong Branches: A History of the Klein Family and the Klein Community, 1840–1940, San Antonio, Texas: HPN Books, 1999, p. 72 [5].
  7. ^ a b c d 'Mustang wine', in Our Home Journal, J.H. Hummel, 1871, Volume 2, p. 338 [6].
  8. ^ a b ITunes: Steve Earle.
  9. ^ a b Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide to Country: The Definitive Guide to Country Music, Backbeat Books, 2003, p. 225 [7].
  10. ^ a b Alanna Nash, Behind Closed Doors: Talking with the Legends of Country Music, New York City: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002, p. 137 [8].
  11. ^ Colin Larkin, The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music, London: Virgin Books, 1998, p. 134.
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