January 27th - This Date in Wine History
/Shah Abbas I of Persia with wine boy by Muhammad Qasim
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.
- Shah Abbas I of Persia was born in 1571. There are paintings of the Shah being handed wine to drink despite Islam's prohibitions against it.
- In 1659, Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, produced the first known wine in South Africa.
- California's Stags Leap District AVA was designated in 1989.