"...The third brother, Thomas Volney Munson, had few interests beyond the science of horticulture. Today he is remembered throughout the world as the greatest viticulturalist in history.

"While brothers Ben I and J.T. were concentrating their efforts on business, T.V. was satisfed with being what he described as "a horticulturist and nurseryman." When he came to Texas in the the late 1870's and planted his first grapevines on a two-acre plot north of town, he had no idea that one day he would gain world fame by saving the French wine industry.

"Although the French gave him the Legion of Honor for his work, they still don't like to admit that there's a taste of Texas in every glass of French wine. However, whether it's a vintage Burgundy or this year's Bordeaux, wines from any of the vineyards in the south of France trace their ancestry to vines that once grew in the Red River Valley near Denison..." (pp 52-53)