July 4th - This Date in Wine History

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Painting entitled, "Declaration of Independence" by John Trumbull

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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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• Founding father's toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a glass (or more) of Madeira (Don't ask our Director of Terroir why Champagne wasn't involved... you have a BBQ to attend).
• Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and wine lover died in 1826 (John Adams died that same day too but he was less of a wine lover...)