The T.V. Munson Memorial Vinyard and Viticulture

	Grayson County College

The T.V. Munson Memorial Vineyard & Viticulture ~ Enology Center
History of the Project History plays an important role in the Viticulture & Enology program at Grayson County College. The program was introduced in 1974, but the foundation from which the program has emerged was laid in 1876 when Thomas Volney Munson arrived in Denison, Texas, to begin a career in grape research which was to last a lifetime...		The Legacy of T.V. Munson
Grayson County became T.V. Munson's home after his first visit to the area when he stated, *"I have found my grape paradise!"* . . . It must surely have been true for he spent the remaining years of his life in the area developing 300 superior grape varieties from the wild native grapes along the bluffs of the Red River and its tributaries.	Sixty-five of Munson's grape varieties may now be found in the T.V. Munson Memorial Vineyard located on Grayson County College's West Campus.	"The most delicate and appreciated wines of the world can attribute their being to a most humble and honorable man from Texas..."
Munson's contribution to world viticulture includes: a reclassification of the Vitis species; authoring the classic book, "Foundation of American Grape Culture" in 1909; originating over 300 disease-resistant grape varieties specifically hybridized for the southwest; and assisting the French government in finding the solution to the phylloxera epidemic which was devastating the French vineyards in the 1880's. The solution was Texas grapevine rootstocks which were sent to France for grafting to the Vitis vinifera. For his assistance, the French bestowed upon Munson the title "Chevalier du Merite Agricole" in 1888. The centennial of the event coincided with the dedication of the T.V. Munson Viticulture and Enology Center, located adjacent to the memorial vineyard, on September 10, 1988.		Excerpts from "Foundations of American Grape Culture" Expressions of Admiration for T.V. Munson T.V. Munson Quotations