Sebastian Rentz (winemaker)

Sebastian Rentz (January 20, 1799 – June 4, 1866) was a German-American winemaker in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rentz was known for producing sparkling Catawba wine from grapes grown in his Ohio River Valley vineyard. He is also known for developing his own grape cultivar, the Rentz Seedling Grape.[1] Rentz was a contemporary winemaker of Nicholas Longworth.

Sebastian Rentz
Born(1799-01-20)January 20, 1799
Bad Saulgau
DiedJune 4, 1866(1866-06-04) (aged 67)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Resting placeOld St. Joseph's Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipKingdom of Württemberg, United States of America
OccupationBaker, winemaker
Known forWinemaking
Net worth$250,000 (1866)
Spouse(s)Cecelia Zoller
Children11

Personal life

Sebastian Rentz was born on January 20, 1799 in Bad Saulgau, Kingdom of Württemberg. In his early life, he was a servant for a wealthy family and in 1825, he travelled with the family to the United States and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. He married Cecelia Zoller in 1828.[2] In Cincinnati, he first worked as a baker,[3] before becoming a winemaker. Rentz had 11 children, six of whom survived him. In 1840, he built a 17-room house on Foley Road.[4] A portrait of the house was later made by landscape painter Robert S. Duncanson.

Rentz was a founding member of Our Lady of Victory (Cincinnati) (then called St. Stephen's) parish in 1842.[4] He died in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 4, 1866 and was buried at Old St. Joseph's Cemetery. At the time of his death, he owned more than 100 acres in Delhi Township and his estate was valued at $250,000.[4]

Winemaking

In 1836, he purchased 40 acres of land in Delhi Township and started growing Catawba grapes and producing sparkling wine from them. By 1846, Rentz was the largest wine producer in Hamilton County, Ohio and produced a record 1,260 gallons of wine per acre.[5] His wines won several awards including first place at the New York State Fair in 1851 and the Longworth cup in 1856.[2]

In addition to growing Catawba grapes, Rentz developed his own grape cultivar, which became known as the Rentz Seedling Grape and was grown throughout the Ohio River Valley region.[1] He also made improvements to the wine press that increased wine production efficiency.[6]

See also

Notes
  1. Ohio Pomological Society (1867). Report of the Ohio Pomological Society: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Society. Ohio Pomological Society. p. 28.
  2. Mersch, Christine (2005). Delhi: Cincinnati's Westside (OH). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738534404.
  3. Deming, Elizer (1834). The Cincinnati directory for the year 1834. E. Deming.
  4. Duba, Larry (1994). The history of Delhi Township. Delhi Historical Society. OCLC 33207166.
  5. von Daacke, John (1967). "Grape-Growing and Wine-Making in Cincinnati, 1800 - 1870" (PDF). Cincinnati Historical Society Bulletin. 25 (3): 196–212.
  6. Buchanan, Robert (1855). CULTURE OF THE GRAPE, AND WINE-MAKING (5 ed.). MOORE, WILSTACH , KEYS & CO. p. 28.
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