July 5th - This Date in Wine History

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.

• In 1709, the Earl of Seafield submitted the concerns of wine merchants to the Lord High Treasurer about the amount of Spanish wine flooding the British Market.
• Sylvester Graham was born in 1794.  An itinerant preacher, he believed in vegetarianism and temperance to cure cholera when the accepted belief was eating plenty of meat, few veggies and drinking port.   He also believed that who grain crackers (Graham crackers) would prevent ‘self-pollution (masturbation).
• The Everyday Book of 1838 relays a story about Swan-hopping in the City (London) where a group of gentlemen were scammed out of the cost of lunch for a group of ladies (and their servants) during an expedition up river to watch the ceremony to mark the swans of London.  The gentlemen in question found that they had been left with bill by the ladies who claimed that “their husbands” would cover the costs  of their dinner, dessert, wine,tea etc.  7£ 10 shilling.  By the way, London swans are still marked in London and are considered to be owned by the Queen, the dyers guild and the vintners guild.
• French eonologist, Alfred de Vergnette de Lamotte was born in 1806. He is best know for his work on wine preservation.
• The Australian Geographical Indication "Wrattonbully" was registered in 2005.