January 20th - 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.

  • Enoch L. Johnson was born in 1883.  He was an Atlantic City political and crime boss who was quoted as saying, “We have whisky, wine, women, song and slot machines. I won't deny it and I won't apologize for it. If the majority of the people didn't want them they wouldn't be profitable and they would not exist. The fact that they do exist proves to me that the people want them.”  He was fictionalized in Boardwalk Empire as the character, Nucky Thompson.

  • Baron Philippe de Rothschild died in 1988.

  • California's San Francisco Bay AVA was designated in 1999.

  • The owner of Trump Winery, Donald J. Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States in 2017.

January 20th - 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.

  • Enoch L. Johnson was born in 1883.  He was an Atlantic City political and crime boss who was quoted as saying, “We have whisky, wine, women, song and slot machines. I won't deny it and I won't apologize for it. If the majority of the people didn't want them they wouldn't be profitable and they would not exist. The fact that they do exist proves to me that the people want them.”  He was fictionalized in Boardwalk Empire as the character, Nucky Thompson.
  • Baron Philippe de Rothschild died in 1988.
  • California's San Francisco Bay AVA was designated in 1999.
  • The owner of Trump Winery, Donald J. Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States in 2017.

Central Coast - Wine Region of the Day

Central Coast

The Central Coast was designated as an AVA in 1985. Situated across 280 miles from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, the Central Coast is home to sub-appellations Arroyo Grande ValleyArroyo SecoBallard CanyonBen Lomond MountainCarmel ValleyChaloneCienega ValleyEdna ValleyHames ValleyHappy Canyon of Santa BarbaraLime Kiln ValleyLivermore ValleyMontereyMt. HarlanPacheco PassPaicinesPaso RoblesSan Antonio ValleySan BenitoSan BernabeSan Francisco BaySan LucasSan Ysidro DistrictSanta Clara ValleySanta Cruz MountainsSanta Lucia HighlandsSanta Maria ValleySta. Rita HillsSanta Ynez Valley, and York Mountain. The Central Coast is so vast that it features a variety of soil types and microclimates across its sub-appellations. The most common vines planted across the Central Coast are ChardonnayPinot NoirCabernet SauvignonZinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc.

San Francisco Bay - Wine Region of the Day


The San Francisco Bay received its AVA designation in 1999. Sitting on over 1,566,713 acres, San Francisco Bay is a large AVA containing the sub-appellations of Livermore ValleyPacheco PassSan Ysidro District, and Santa Clara Valley. A small number of wineries are located in and around the San Francisco Bay, including on Treasure Island and the Former Alameda Naval Air Station. Due to its size, there are multiple temperature zones contained within the AVA, ranging from cold, windy, and foggy, to hot and sunny. The region is known for producing Barbera, Cabernet SauvignonChardonnay, Grenache, Mourvedre, Petite SirahPinot NoirRieslingSyrah, and Zinfandel.