At the time of the Civil War, there were at least 25 wineries in North Carolina and many more vineyards, in addition to the farmers who had fermented the grapes for their own consumption. A Frenchman named Jean Jacques founded the first successful winery at Washingtonville on the banks of the Hudson in 1839. Through various ownerships, and by making sacramental wine during Prohibition, the company still exists, thus making it the oldest winemaking enterprise in continuous operation in the United States. A market had been established, viticulture techniques improved and Scuppernong was proving to be the signature grape that could be easily turned into wine. Moravians used wine in their religious services and had taverns for more secular leisure activities. The growth of markets for wine did induce farmers to increase efforts at improving quality and quantity but informal mechanisms for the transfer of knowledge between winemakers were limited.