Wagner, Philip

Philip Marshall Wagner (1904–1996) moved to Baltimore, Maryland, to begin what was to be a thirty-four-year career, becoming editor of the Evening Sun in 1938 and the Sun in 1943. He began making wine in 1931 and in 1933 bought property in Riderwood, Maryland, where he began planting vines. In May of that year he finished writing his first book, American Wines and How to Make Them, which at that time was the only book in English on wine making. After his book was published, he began experimenting with an increasing number of grape varieties in his search for the right ones for making European-style table wines. In 1939 he imported twenty-five vines of Baco No. 1 from France, the first shipment of French hybrid vines into American viticulture for wine production. He and his wife, Jocelyn, started their grapevine nursery in 1940 and opened their winery, Boordy Vineyard, in 1945. In that same year he published A Wine-Grower’s Guide, a book on grape growing that included information on growing the French hybrids. Wagner met other needs as well. In those days it was difficult to obtain grape-growing and wine-making equipment suitable for small operations, and in 1950 Boordy Vineyard began selling hardware. Satisfactory inexpensive wine glasses were also hard to find. What was needed were good-size glasses of clear glass or crystal with a simple shape that were sturdy enough to put into a dishwasher. In 1950 Jocelyn Wagner located an eight-ounce glass of the classical tulip shape in New York made by Morgantown Glassware Guild in West Virginia. Boordy Vineyard had Morgantown adapt the glass to its specifications, and for many years Boordy was a major supplier of wine glasses in the East and California. Throughout the 1950s Boordy was the only commercial nursery selling French hybrid vines, and the combination of Wagner’s knowledge and the services he could provide made him a major influence throughout this period.