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Before beer became king, Cincinnati had a vibrant wine industry. A new book explores that little-known history

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Cincinnati has rightfully earned its reputation as one of America's great beer cities. But as its brewing industry was just ramping up in the mid-1800s, another libation from Cincinnati was making waves around the country: sparkling wine.

One of the city's leading citizens, Nicholas Longworth, is credited with popularizing the Catawba grape for wine and establishing vineyards in what is now Mt. Adams and other areas around the city. But plenty of other winemakers played a role in the city's early high-profile wine production.

Local food historian and author Dann Woellert recently finished Cincinnati Wine: An Effervescent History, a book about that heady, and mostly forgotten, moment in Cincinnati history. He joins Cincinnati Edition to talk about a time when Cincinnati was queen of American wine — and why the future looks bright for wine lovers here.

Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.

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