April 19th - This Date in Wine History

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Ælfheah St._Alphege,_Archbishop_of_Canterbury,_is_asked_for_advice (1).jpg

Wine has a long established history of being our drink of choice for celebrating, entertaining, and savoring life; but it didn't start out that way. From the invention of the barrel to the designation of the separate viticultural areas, wine has a long and sorted history.  In our daily feature "This Date In Wine History," we share an event of critical importance in wine history.

  • Ælfheah of Canterbury was murdered in 1012 by the Danes because he refused to offer them a ransom for his release and because they were drunk on wine brought from the south.
  • Venetian painter, Paolo Veronese, died in 1588.  He is known for several paintings of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus transformed water into wine.
  • George Gordon Byron, known as Lord Byron died in 1824. He used a skull found at Newstead Abbey as a wine cup. He wrote the poem Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed from a Skull.
  • The Botticino DOC was created in 1968.
  • The Cellatica DOC was created in 1968.