October 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.

  • Richard III of England was born in 1452.  During his reign, he established a law outlawing the shorting customers in the sales of wine or oil.
  • Charles Albert, King of Sardinia was born in 1798.  At the time of his reign, Sardinia included parts of southern France, Monaco and the northern part of the Italian mainland.  When Austria increased the customs duty on Piedmontese wine, the king threatened to build a railroad from Genoa to Lake Maggiore to capture the German market.
  • Commanderia, an ancient wine that has been described since 800BCE was protected by the Cypriot government in 2002. It holds a PDO in Europe, Canada, and the United States and is the distinction of being the world's oldest named wine still in production.