Thomas Volney “T.V.” Munson helped establish Texas’ reputation as a viticulture paradise, and then saved the French wine industry in the late 19th century.
Munson arrived in Denison in 1876 as an 1870 graduate of the University of Kentucky in chemistry. His early professional years were spent working in nurseries, where he noticed that most commercial varieties of grapes were susceptible to diseases that hardly effected native grapes.
In Texas he found a Garden of Eden of biodiversity and began one of the earliest classification systems of native grapes. Much of his work centered on improving American varieties through grafting and cross-pollination.
In 1909 Munson published Foundations of American Grape Culture, which included his observations and collections after traveling to 40 states over 30 years. The book became a classic, and is still referenced by viticulturists. Around Denison on the Red River he planted 10 vineyards experimenting with improving native varieties.
In the 1800s the European wine industry was hit by deadly fungus that ravaged vineyards. At first, they imported labrusca rootstock from the U.S., but it was infected with phylloxera, a small aphid, that only made matters worse.
The solution came from Denison when Munson sent Texas native rootstock that was resistant to phylloxera and the fungus. For his role in saving the wine industry, he was named a Chevalier du Mérite Agricole de France, the second American to receive the honor.
Grayson College in Denison continues to honor Munson with an outstanding educational program on viticulture and has added a distillation science program. The community college in 1974 developed the T.V. Munson Memorial Vineyard near the entrance to the city’s airport. The vineyard at the Munson Viticulture and Enology Center preserves 65 of his original 300 varieties.
Munson’s home, “Vinita,” still stands at 530 W. Hanna St. in Denison. For information on tours, go to www.grayson.edu.
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This article appears in August 30 • 2024.