March 31st - This Date in Wine History

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.

• Cesare Borgia is given the title of Captain General and Gonfalonier after returning from his conquests in the Romagna.  He is best thought of as someone who poisoned the wine of his enemies.

• Jules Guyot, was a French physician and agronomist, who introduced a system of "cane-pruning" of vines for trellises died in 1872.

• Rudolf Steiner, father of biodynamic wine making died in 1925.

• California's Cucamonga Valley AVA was designated in 1995.

March 16th - This Date in Wine History

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.

• Traditional date for Bacchanalia.

• Johann Rudolf Glauber died in 1670.  He was a German-Dutch alchemist who wrote about improvements in wine making and is considered an early chemist or chemical engineer.

• In 1818, President James Monroe signed a bill set apart and dispose of public lands for the encouragement and cultivation of “the vine and olive”.  The documents were sent to Treasury Secretary, William H. Crawford.  The land was in Alabama (it didn’t work).

• The 1872 Medical Times and Gazette describes a new French patent medicine made of quinine, cacao and iron mixed with Malaga wine as a tonic for blighted children.  Quinine wines are still sold as aperitifs (Byrrh, for example).

• Happy Ag Appreciation Week  Remember, without ag, there is  no wine!

March 31st - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• Jules Guyot, was a French physician and agronomist, who introduced a system of "cane-pruning" of vines for trellises died in 1872.
• Rudolf Steiner, father of biodynamic wine making died in 1925.
• California's Cucamonga Valley AVA was designated in 1995.

March 24th - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• James VI of Scotland became James I of England and Ireland after the death of Elizabeth I in 1603.  Later in his reign James suffered from arthritis, gout and kidney stones and was described as having urine, “dark red color of Alicante wine”. (That ain’t right)
• Pieter de Hooch, a Dutch painter died in 1684.  He is known for “A Woman Drinking with Two Men” and “A Woman and Two Men in an Arbor”.
• The Coteaux-Varois AOC was created in 1993.  The primary grapes are Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsaut, Mourvédre, Syrah and Carignan.
• The Cour-Cheverny AOC was created in 1993. The only grape allowed for this wine is Romorantin.
• It is National Ag Week and Agriculture Appreciation Week.

March 23rd - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• Charles II issued a warrant to the Farmers of Customs for unlading 120 pipes of Canary wine for the Spanish ambassadors in 1667.
• Ludwig Minkus  and Austrian-Jewish composer was born in 1826.  His father was a wholesale wine merchant in Moravia, Austria and Hungary.
• Hubert de Castella arrived in Melbourne, from Switzerland in 1854 and began a winery in the Yarra Valley.
• The Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry listed that W.P. Thompson received a patent for a method and apparatus for manufacturing beer, ale, wine, cider or the like in 1892.
• Happy National Ag Week.

March 22nd - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• The Illinois General Assembly created rules requiring every county to regulate weights and measures including for a wine measure.
• George W. Roosevelt, the US Ambassador to France reports on new French laws about the adulteration of wines in 1883.
• Viticulture Committee of the Region of Vinho Verde was created in 1929.
• Franklin Roosevelt signed The Cullen-Harrison Act to amend the Volstead Act that allowed the sale and taxation of low alcohol beers and wines in 1933.
• Happy National Ag Week. Remember, without ag, there is no wine!

March 21st - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• Eleanor of Aquitaine’s marriage to Louis VII of France in 1152.  Her dowry included Aquitaine including the vineyards or Bordeaux, which remained hers through the marriage and afterwards.
• Julio Gallo was born in 1910.
• The AOC Alsace Grand Cru Sylvaner and Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim were named in 2005
• Wine Road of The Samurai, a documentary about 34 Samurai (who were also known as The Last Samurais) delegation sent by the Japanese government to France at the end of Edo era was released in 2006.
• Happy National Agriculture Week!  Remember, without ag, there is  no wine!

March 20th - This Date in Wine History

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. 

The Dutch East India Company was created in 1602.  The South African wine industry, started by Jan van Riebeeck a company employee, is a legacy.

Friedrich Hölderlin, German lyric poet was born in 1770 He is known for the poem, Brod und Wein.

James Christie imported 621 1/2 of port wine and 600lbs of Jesuits bark (cinchona bark, the source of quinine) in 1776.

Spain's Plá I Llevant  DO was created in 2001.

Happy Spring!  It is the Vernal Equinox.

Happy Ag Appreciation Week  Remember, without ag, there is no wine!

March 19th - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• Philip (Filippo) Mazzei, Italian born physical and viticulturist died in 1816.  He brought plants, seeds, silkworms, and farms from Lucca, Italy. Thomas Jefferson gave Mazzei land too start a vineyard.
• Pennsylvania and New Jersey's Central Delaware Valley AVA was designated in 1984.
• California's Yountville AVA was designated in 1999. 
• Today is the feast of St. Joseph who is honored with a table of meatless foods (as it is lent) and wine offered to the poor.  St.  Joseph is the patron Saint of the working man.
• Happy Ag Appreciation Week  Remember, without ag, there is no wine!

March 18th - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• Robert Walpole, The Earl of Orford and Prime Minister of Great Britain died in 1745.  He proposed that the tariff on wine and tobacco be replaced by an excise tax.  Revenues had fallen due to smuggling.
• Ernest Gallo was born in 1909.
• George I, King of the Hellenes was assassinated in Thessaloniki in 1913.  The king grew his own grapes for wine, Chateau Décélie.
• The Australian Geographical Indication "Mount Benson" was registered in 1997.
• Fess Parker, film and tv actor and winemaker died in 2010.
• Happy Ag Appreciation Week  Remember, without ag, there is no wine!

March 17th - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• Cagnina di Romagna was made a DOC in 1988.
• Pagadebit di Romagna DOC was created in 1988.
• Traditional date for Bacchanalia, celebrating Bacchus, God of Wine.
• Date for the Liber Pater, which replaced the Bacchanalia, celebrated god of Italian fertility, wine and services.
• Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!  While not a holiday traditionally associated with wine, if you want a wine with green highlights may we suggest a cold climate Sauvignon Blanc or Vinho Verde (which really translates as Green Wine).
• Happy Ag Appreciation Week  Remember, without ag, there is  no wine!
• It is the feast day of St. Gertrude of Nivelles, the patron saint of gardeners and travelers.

March 16th - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• Traditional date for Bacchanlia.
• Johann Rudolf Glauber died in 1670.  He was a German-Dutch alchemist who wrote about improvements in wine making and is considered an early chemist or chemical engineer.
• In 1818, President James Monroe signed a bill set apart and dispose of public lands for the encouragement and cultivation of “the vine and olive”.  The documents were sent to Treasury Secretary, William H. Crawford.  The land was in Alabama (it didn’t work).
• The 1872 Medical Times and Gazette describes a new French patent medicine made of quinine, cacao and iron mixed with Malaga wine as a tonic for blighted children.  Quinine wines are still sold as aperitifs (Byrrh, for example).
• Happy Ag Appreciation Week  Remember, without ag, there is  no wine!

February 25th - This Date in Wine History

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. 

• Robert Devereaux, 2nd Earl of Essex was executed in 1601.  Prior to his treasonous rebellion, Essex was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I who gave the royal monopoly of sweet wines to him which provided him revenue from the taxes.
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the French impressionist painter was born in 1841.  He is known for Luncheon of the Boating Party and Bar du moulin de la Galette which feature revelers enjoying drinks…
• Rudolf Steiner, father of biodynamic wine making was born in 1861. Biodynamic agriculture is certified by an organization called Demeter.
• The Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA was designated in 2004.
• The French have a saying, « Vent fort à la saint Nestor, bon vin à la saint Marcellin.» or "Strong wind for Saint Nestor, good wine for Saint Marcellin.” (St.Marcellin’s feast is October 24th).

July 23rd - This Date in Wine History

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.

• Peder Severin Kroyer, a Danish painter, who created a painting called “Hip, Hip Hurrah!” showing a toast at a family picnic was born in 1851.
• Robert Parker born in 1947.
• Pennsylvania and Maryland's Cumberland Valley AVA was designated in 1985
• It is the feast day of St. Phocas who is a patron saint of gardeners,agricultural workers, farm worker and others.  Remember.  No Farmers?  No wine. 

April 2nd - This Date in Wine History

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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.

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• Feast day of St. Urban of Langres, patron saint of vineyard workers.
• The Bianchello di Metauro DOC was created in 1969.
• The Marsala DOC was created in 1969.
• The Sartène AOC was designated in 1976.

March 23rd - This Date in Wine History

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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.

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• Charles II issued a warrant to the Farmers of Customs for unlading 120 pipes of Canary wine for the Spanish ambassadors in 1667.
• Hubert de Castella arrived in Melbourne, from Switzerland in 1854 and began a winery in the Yarra Valley
• The Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry listed that W.P. Thompson received a patent for a method and apparatus for manufacturing beer, ale, wine, cider or the like in 1892.
• Happy Agriculture Week.  Remember, without ag, there isno wine!

March 22nd - This Date in Wine History

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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.

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• The Illinois General Assembly created rules requiring every county to regulate weights and measures including for a wine measure.
• George W. Roosevelt, the US Ambassador to France reports on new French laws about the adulteration of wines in 1883.
• Viticulture Committee of the Region of Vinho Verde was created in 1929
• Happy Ag week!  There is no wine without agriculture!