February 14th - This Date in Wine History

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ValentineQ.png

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.

  • Happy Valentine’s Day.  St. Valentine has no reference to wine history, but sweethearts often toast their love with wine or Champagne!  Cheers!

  • Oregon was admitted to the Union in 1859.  It is home to the Applegate Valley, Chahalem Mountains, Columbia Gorge, Columbia Valley, Dundee Hills, Elkton Oregon, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Red Hills Douglas County Oregon,  Ribbon Ridge, The Rocks of Milton-Freewater, Rogue Valley,  Snake River Valley, Southern Oregon, Umpqua Valley, Walla Walla, Willamette Valley and Yamhill-Carlton

  • Arizona was admitted to the union in 1912.  It is home to the Sonoita and Willcox viticultural areas.

  • Drew Bledsoe was born in 1972.  He is owner of Doubleback Wines in Walla Walla Washington.

  • New Mexico's Mesilla Valley AVA was designated in 1985

  • The Côte Roannaise AOC was named in 1994

  • The Bulgarian’s celebrate Trifon Zarezan (Vineyard Day).  It is an ancient custom that was Christianized but previously offered to Sabazius, Dionysius, Bromius, Bacchus and Lycurgus.  The vines are trimmed, watered with wine and thrown into the River.  Later a meal of chicken (specifically a hen) stuffed with rice or bulgar is served.

  • The French have a saying, « Vigneron à la Saint-Valentin, doit avoir serpette en main. » which translates to "Winemakers on Valentine's Day, must have a serpette in hand.” (a serpette is an agricultural knife) 

November 17th - This Date in Wine History

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Louis_XVI_XVIII_François_hubert_drouais_-_duque_berry_conde_provença.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.

  • Zeno becomes sole Byzantine Emperor in 474 when his son and co-emperor, Leo II dies in 474. Legend holds that he was buried alive after becoming insensible with drink and hist wife Ariadne refused to allow anyone to open his sarcophagus.

  • Louis XVIII was born in 1755.  After having spent  decades in exile after the death of his brother, Louis XVI, upon his restoration he promised the people that taxes on tobacco, wine and salt would be abolished.  He did not keep this promise.

  • The U.S. Army established Fort Buchanan in 1856.  The fort was created to protect the newly acquired Gadsen Purchase.  Today the land the fort is located on is part of Arizona’s Sonoita viticultural area.

  • União Vinícola da Região do Moscatel de Setúbal was created in Portugal in 1933.

October 26th - This Date in Wine History

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Image courtesy of De Bortoli Wines

Image courtesy of De Bortoli Wines

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.

  • One of the first known serial killers, Gilles de Rais was executed in 1440 in Nantes, Brittany.  Young victims were dressed in expensive clothing, given an extravagant meal and hippocras, a sweetened, spiced wine before being tortured, murdered and dismembered.

  • The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure reports from Bonn that the grape harvest of 1775 was so beyond expectation that there would be no empty casks available to make cider on the Moselle.

  • Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V was crowned as King of Germany in 1520.  Charles was known for disliking wine, preferring to drink beer instead.

  • Arizona's Sonoita AVA was designated in 1984.

  • Deen De Bortoli of De Bortoli wines of Australia died in 2003.

February 14th - This Date in Wine History

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Antique_Valentine_1909_01.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. 

  • Happy Valentine’s Day.  St. Valentine has no reference to wine history, but sweethearts often toast their love with wine or Champagne!  Cheers!
  • Oregon was admitted to the Union in 1859.  It is home to the Applegate Valley, Chahalem Mountains, Columbia Gorge, Columbia Valley, Dundee Hills, Elkton Oregon, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Red Hills Douglas County Oregon,  Ribbon Ridge, The Rocks of Milton-Freewater, Rogue Valley,  Snake River Valley, Southern Oregon, Umpqua Valley, Walla Walla, Willamette Valley and Yamhill-Carlton.
  • Arizona was admitted to the union in 1912.  It is home to the Sonoita and Willcox viticultural areas.
  • Drew Bledsoe was born in 1972.  He is owner of Doubleback Wines in Walla Walla Washington.
  • New Mexico's Mesilla Valley AVA was designated in 1985.
  • The Côte Roannaise AOC was named in 1994.
  • The Bulgarian’s celebrate Trifon Zarezan (Vineyard Day).  It is an ancient custom that was Christianized but previously offered to Sabazius, Dionysius, Bromius, Bacchus and Lycurgus.  The vines are trimmed, watered with wine and thrown into the River.  Later a meal of chicken (specifically a hen) stuffed with rice or bulgar is served.
  • The French have a saying, « Vigneron à la Saint-Valentin, doit avoir serpette en main. » which translates to "Winemakers on Valentine's Day, must have a serpette in hand.” (a serpette is an agricultural knife) 

December 30th - This Date in Wine History

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Gadsden_Purchase_Southern_Pacific.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.

  • The Gadsden Purchase was complete in 1853.  The land is southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona was purchased to help railroads expansion in the the United States.  It is also home to the Sonoita Viticultural Area.
  • California's Howell Mountain AVA was designated in 1983.
  • The Valdichiana DOC was established in 1989.
  • Eddie Barlow, South African cricketer died in 1940.  In his retirement he bought a vineyard named Windfall.

November 17th - This Date in Wine History

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Romanorvm_imperatorvm_effigies_-_elogijs_ex_diuersis_scriptoribus_per_Thomam_Treteru_S._Mariae_Transtyberim_canonicum_collectis_(1583)_(14581579220).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.

  • Zeno becomes sole Byzantine Emperor in 474 when his son and co-emperor, Leo II dies in 474. Legend holds that he was buried alive after becoming insensible with drink and hist wife Ariadne reefed to allow anyone to open his sarcophagus.
  • The U.S. Army established Fort Buchanan in 1856.  The fort was created to protect the newly acquired Gadsen Purchase.  Today the land the fort is located on is part of Arizona’s Sonoita viticultural area.
  • União Vinícola da Região do Moscatel de Setúbal was created in Portugal in 1933.

October 26th - This Date in Wine History

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Elderly_Karl_V.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.

  • Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V was crowned as King of Germany in 1520.  Charles was known for disliking wine, preferring to drink beer instead.
  • Arizona's Sonoita AVA was designated in 1984.
  • Deen De Bortoli of De Bortoli wines of Australia died in 2003.

August 10th - This Date in Wine History

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Eusebio Kino

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.

  • In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese) left Seville, Spain for his around the world voyage. When provisioning his ships he paid more for Sherry than for weapons. This was perhaps the wrong choice as he was killed during the voyage by angry Filipinos.
  • Eusebius Kino was born in 1645.  He was an Italian Jesuit and missionary who founded missions throughout Pimeria Alta (Upper Pima) in New Spain.  These missions were located in what is now northern Sonora in Mexico and Arizona.  Some of these missions had vineyards.  There is a wine from Baja California named in his honor.  
  • Margaux AOC in Bordeaux and the Quarts-de-Chaume AOC in the Loire were named in 1954.
  • It is the feast day of Saint Lawrence of Rome. He is a patron saint of Vintners.

November 17th - This Date in Wine History

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Ruins of Fort Buchanan 1914

Ruins of Fort Buchanan 1914

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 U.S. Army established Fort Buchanan in 1856.  The fort was created to protect the newly acquired Gadsen Purchase.  Today the land the fort is located on is part of Arizona’s Sonoita viticultural area.
  • União Vinícola da Região do Moscatel de Setúbal was created in Portugal in 1933.

Willcox - Wine Region of the Day

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WILLCOX

Map of the Willcox wine region by Gretchen Miller Neuman for Qorkz.

Arizona is generally considered to be a hot and dry place.  But even in Arizona vineyards flourish.  The Willcox viticultural area is one of those areas.  It was established in September 2016 is located east of Tucson around the city of Willcox.and is 526,000 acres in size with 26 commercial vineyards operating.  

The topography of the region is a shallow basin that is surrounded by the Chiricahua, Dos Cabezas, Pinalenos, Dragoon, Little Dragoon, and Winchester Mountains and is not fed by any waterways.  The water source for irrigation in the area comes from rain water that falls primarily during the monsoon season of July and August (editors note:  monsoons produce spectacularly terrifying lightning.... also, keep your gas tank full in the desert trust me).  

The soils in the Willcox AVA are loams produced wind and water born particles which allow for the heavy rains from the monsoon to drain readily into the aquifer below.  While the soils were formed in the same manner they are not uniform throughout the appellation.  They are influenced by the specific geology of the surrounding volcanic mountain ranges.

The climate of the region is effected by the topography.  Flat vineyards receive almost uniform sunshine which makes canopy management essential.  While many vineyards must remove leaves to assure that the fruit receives sufficient sunlight, Willcox vineyards must balance that with the need to protect the grapes from sunburn.  Temperatures in the basin are warmer that locations at higher elevations. Cool air does drain down the mountain which allows the grapes to develop fuller flavors during the growing season but can cause frost damage during the cold season.  

Grapes produced in the region include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Mourvedre, Riesling, Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc.