William Thompson (viticulturist)

Last updated

William Thompson (26 November 1816 - 19 October 1897) was an English born viticulturist, credited with the introduction and popularization of the Sultana grape in the Central Valley of California. Known widely as the Thompson Seedless variety in the United States, the high yielding pale green grape accounts for approximately 95% of raisins produced in California.

Early life and career

William Thompson was born in Wistow, Yorkshire, England in 1816. On the 1841 UK Census, he is described as 'Agricultural Labourer'. By the 1851 Census, he was 'Gardener of 9 acres (36,000 m2), employing 1 man'.

Thompson emigrated to the United States and after a period living in Illinois settled with his family in Sutter, California in 1863. In 1872 he acquired cuttings of the Lady de Coverly (sultana) grape from the Elwanger & Barry Nursery of Rochester, New York. The original grape rootstock is assumed to have originated from territories than now make up parts of modern Iran or Turkey only acquiring the Lady de Coverly varietal name after having been successfully cultivated in English glasshouses. [1]

After grafting the cuttings onto existing rootstock, Thompson was eventually successful in 1875 of producing a crop of 50 pounds of large sweet, thin skinned seedless grapes. Thompson was generous in sharing his cuttings and the first 200-acre vineyard of Thompson's grapes were planted by his friend J.P. Onstott. From this vineyard cuttings were shared throughout the Central Valley and by 1920 the Thompson Seedless variety had replaced the seeded Muscat of Alexandria grape as the preferred raisin variety.

Related Research Articles

Grape edible berry of a flowering plant in the family Vitaceae

A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus Vitis.

Raisin dark-colored dried large grape

A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word raisin is reserved for the dark-colored dried large grape, with sultana being a golden-colored dried grape, and currant being a dried small Black Corinth seedless grape.

Vineyard Plantation of grape-bearing vines

A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards are often characterised by their terroir, a French term loosely translating as "a sense of place" that refers to the specific geographical and geological characteristics of grapevine plantations, which may be imparted to the wine itself.

Sultana or Sultanah may refer to:

Zante currant Variety of grape

Zante currants, Corinth raisins, or simply currants outside of the United States, are raisins of the small, sweet, seedless grape cultivar Black Corinth. The name comes from the Anglo-French phrase "raisins de Corinthe" and the Ionian island of Zakynthos (Zante), which was once the major producer and exporter. It is not related to black, red or white currants, which are berries of shrubs in the genus Ribes and not usually prepared in dried form.

Table grape grapes intended for consumption while fresh

Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption while fresh, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, juice production, or for drying into raisins.

Phylloxera Species of insect that plagues grapevines.

Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaera vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae. The insect is commonly just called phylloxera.

Malbec Wine variety

Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in South West France, though the grape is grown worldwide. It is increasingly celebrated as an Argentine varietal.

Chenin blanc Variety of grape

Chenin blanc is a White wine grape variety from the Loire Valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled. Outside the Loire it is found in most of the New World wine regions; it is the most widely planted variety in South Africa, where it was historically also known as Steen. The grape may have been one of the first to be grown in South Africa by Jan van Riebeeck in 1655, or it may have come to that country with Huguenots fleeing France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Chenin blanc was often misidentified in Australia as well, so tracing its early history in the country is not easy. It may have been introduced in James Busby's collection of 1832, but C. Waterhouse was growing Steen at Highercombe in Houghton, South Australia, by 1862.

Grenache Red wine grape

Grenache or Garnacha is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, where the grape most likely originated. It is also grown in the Italian island of Sardinia, the south of France, Australia, and California's Monterey AVA and San Joaquin Valley.

Sun-Maid American cooperative of raisin growers

Sun-Maid Growers of California is an American privately owned cooperative of raisin growers headquartered in Fresno, California Sun-Maid is the largest raisin and dried fruit processor in the world. As a cooperative, Sun-Maid is made up of approximately 850 family farmers who grow raisin grapes within a 100-mile (160-kilometer) radius of the processing plant. Sun-Maid also sources dried fruit beyond this geographical area. In 2012, Sun-Maid celebrated its 100th anniversary as a grower cooperative.

Sultana (grape) "white" (pale green), oval seedless grape variety

The sultana is a "white", oval seedless grape variety also called the sultanina, Thompson Seedless, Lady de Coverly (England), and oval-fruited Kishmish. It is also known as İzmir üzümü in Turkey since this variety has been extensively grown in the region around İzmir. It is assumed to originate from, which later became part of the Ottoman Empire. In some countries, especially Commonwealth countries, it is also the name given to the raisin made from it or from larger seedless grapes; such sultana raisins are often simply called sultanas or sultanis. These are typically larger than Zante currants, and the Thompson variety is smaller than many seeded raisins. In the US and Canada, the name "raisin" is applied to all dried grapes, so that the breakfast cereal known as "sultana bran" in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom is called raisin bran in the United States and Canada.

Dried vine fruit

Dried vine fruit is a term given to all the varieties of dried grape produced. The need for this term came from the fact that the United Kingdom is the only country in the European Union which differentiates dried vine fruit into different types. On mainland Europe, they are all simply called raisins, whereas in the UK they are differentiated into raisins, sultanas and currants. In this instance the term currant refers to the Zante currant, not the fruit of the Ribes genus.

California wine Wine made from grapes grown in California, United States

California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted Vitis vinifera vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. In the 1770s, Spanish missionaries continued the practice under the direction of the Father Junípero Serra planted California's first vineyard at Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Indian wine

The modern Indian Wine market is small but growing; annual per capita consumption of wine in the country is a mere 9 milliliters, approximately 1/8000th that of France. The main reason for this can be attributed to the fact that Indians preference for hard liquor and beer boasts nearly 98% of market share whereas wine with low ABV only has 2% market share. The Viticulture in India has a long history dating back to the time of the Indus Valley civilization when grapevines were believed to have been introduced from Persia. Winemaking has existed throughout most of India's history but was particularly encouraged during the time of the Portuguese and British colonization of the subcontinent. The end of the 19th century saw the phylloxera louse take its toll on the Indian wine industry followed by religious and public opinion moving towards the prohibition. Following the country's independence from the British Empire, the government encouraged vineyards to convert to table grape and raisin production. In the 1980s and 1990s, a revival in the Indian wine industry took place as international influences and the growing middle class started increasing demand for the beverage. By the turn of the 21st century, demand was increasing at a rate of 20-30% a year. The city of Nashik in the state of Maharashtra is called the "Wine Capital of India."

This glossary of viticultural terms list some of terms and definitions involved in growing grapes for use in winemaking.

Thomcord Grape varietal

Thomcord is a seedless table grape variety and a hybrid of the popular Thompson Seedless or Sultanina grape and Concord grape. Thomcord was developed in 1983 by Californian grape breeders working for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as part of a test to better understand a new seedless grape breeding procedure.

Henry Walker Crabb American winemaker (1828–1899)

Henry Walker Crabb, also known as H. W. Crabb, Hiram Walker Crabb or Hamilton Walker Crabb, was a pioneer American wine cultivator, considered one of the pioneers of the development of the Napa Valley as a wine region. In the 1880s, his vine collection was one of the largest in the world.

Propagation of grapevines

The propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. Grapevines, most of which belong to the Vitis vinifera family, produce one crop of fruit each growing season with a limited life span for individual vines. While some centenarian old vine examples of grape varieties exist, most grapevines are between the ages of 10 and 30 years. As vineyard owners seek to replant their vines, a number of techniques are available which may include planting a new cutting that has been selected by either clonal or mass (massal) selection. Vines can also be propagated by grafting a new plant vine upon existing rootstock or by layering one of the canes of an existing vine into the ground next to the vine and severing the connection when the new vine develops its own root system.

References

  1. Christensen, Peter (2000). Rasin Production Manual. Oakland: University of California. p. 38. ISBN   1-879906-44-9.