May 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.

  • Pope John XXI died today in 1277.  One of the things accomplished during his 9 month papacy was to ensure that the cardinals electing popes were given sufficient food and wine during their deliberations.  Previously, supplies with progressively restricted to ensure a quick election.
  • Eduard Buchner was born in 1860.  He was a German chemist  who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on fermentation. He showed that an extract that was free of living yeast cells could still lead to fermentation.
  • Albano Carrisi, Italian singer, actor and winemaker was born in 1943. He is the owner of Carrisi Wine Company in Apulia.
  • The French have a saying, « S’il gèle à la Saint-Bernardin, adieu le vin. » or, “If it freezes at St. Bernardino of Siena’s day, goodbye to wine.”