March 30th - 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.

• The rebellion know as the Sicilian Vespers began in 1282.  The rebellion against the Angevin King Charles I started when French officials joined  locals at Palermo’s Church of the Holy Spirit to celebrate Easter and began to drink. A French soldier dragged a local (married) woman from the crowd and began pestering her.  Her husband then killed the dude and all hell broke out.  The trouble started at vespers or sunset.

• The Florida Territory was created in 1822.  The area includes wine making regions, Fort Caroline and St. Augustine.

• Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853.  Along with his paintings of Sunflowers, Starry Nights and his bedroom in Arles, he also painted still lifes of the foods and beverages in his kitchen.

• Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula AVA was designated in 1982.

• Tom Angove, inventor of the wine cask (aka bag in a box) died in 2010.

March 25th - 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.

• Greece declared its independence from Turkey in 1821 freeing wine production from the onerous taxes of the Ottoman Turks.

• French winemaker, Jean-Michel Cazes was born in 1935.

• New York's Cayuga Lake AVA was designated in 1988.

• The Australian Geographical Indication "Clare Valley" was registered in 1999.

• The Australian Geographical Indication "Perricoota" was registered in 1999.

• The Australian Geographical Indication "Adelaide Plains" was registered in 2002.

• The French have a saying, « S'il gèle le 25 mars, pas de grain ni de vin. » or “If it freezes on March 25th, there will be no grain nor wine”.

March 23rd - 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.

• Charles II issued a warrant to the Farmers of Customs for unlading 120 pipes of Canary wine for the Spanish ambassadors in 1667.

• Ludwig Minkus  and Austrian-Jewish composer was born in 1826.  His father was a wholesale wine merchant in Moravia, Austria and Hungary.

• Hubert de Castella arrived in Melbourne, from Switzerland in 1854 and began a winery in the Yarra Valley.

• The Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry listed that W.P. Thompson received a patent for a method and apparatus for manufacturing beer, ale, wine, cider or the like in 1892.

March 18th - 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.

Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar was burned at the stake.  The Knights at one point owned the entire Island of Cyprus and were purported to have created the wine, Commandaria.

Robert Walpole, The Earl of Orford and Prime Minister of Great Britain died in 1745.  He proposed that the tariff on wine and tobacco be replaced by an excise tax.  Revenues had fallen due to smuggling. #March18th #wine #history #winehistory🍷.

Ernest Gallo was born in 1909. #March18th #wine #history #winehistory🍷📗.

George I, King of the Hellenes was assassinated in Thessaloniki in 1913.  The king grew his own grapes for wine, Chateau Décélie. #March18th #wine #history #winehistory🍷.

The Australian Geographical Indication "Mount Benson" was registered in 1997 #March18th #wine #history #winehistory🍷📗.

Fess Parker, film and tv actor and winemaker died in 2010. #March18th #wine #history #winehistory🍷📗.

March 6th - 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.

• The final assault in the Surge of Chandax occurred in 961.  Previously, a  Byzantine forces had scoured the countryside in search of supplies which them to become drunk only to be attacked by the Emir’s troops.  The final sign on modern Heraklion was a success for the Byzantine forces.

• Australian viticulturist, Dr. Richard Smart was born in 1945 .

• Max Schubert, Australian winemaker responsible for Penfolds Grange Hermitage died in 1994.

• Colorado's West Elks AVA was designated in 2001.

• Ernest Gallo died in 2007.

February 10th - 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.

• The St. Scholastica Day riot was sparked by Oxford students complaining about the quality of the wine at Swindlestock Tavern in 1355.

• Birthday of Aaron Hill, English writer of “The Walking Statue; Or, the Devil in the Wine Cellar” He was born in 1685.

• Jefferson Davis is notified in 1861 that he has been made the provisional President of the Confederates States of America.  While at West Point, Davis was a participant in the Egg Nog Riots.  He was held under house arrest for  his role but allowed to graduate.

• Nicholas Longworth, American banker and winemaker died in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1863.  He was a noted winemaker known particularly for producing sparkling Catawba wines that were highly acclaimed in Europe.

• In a letter dated 1890 to Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Circular, the firm of Culbert & Taylor of 39 Broadway in New York, announce that they are the agent’s for Martini & Rossi.

• Golfer Greg Norman was born in 1955.  He owns Greg Norman Estates in South Australia and California.

February 9th - This Date in Wine History

Photo courtesy of Penfolds Grange Hermitage

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.

• English Protestant martyr, Rowland Taylor died in 1555.  He was a supporter of Lady Jane Grey who was overthrown by Mary.   He tried and found guilty of heresy for objecting to the doctrine of transubstantiation where bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  He was burned at the stake. 

• Max Schubert, Australian winemaker responsible for Penfolds Grange Hermitage was born in 1915.

• Race Car Driver, Kevin Buckler was born in 1959.  He owns Adobe Road Wines in Sonoma.

• Connecticut's Western Connecticut Highlands AVA was designated in 1988.

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• The Australian Geographical Indication "Adelaide Hills" was registered in 1998.

• New Jersey's Outer Coastal Plain AVA was designated in 2007.

February 7th - 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.

• Empress Matilda of the Holy Roman Empire was born in 1102.  She became a claimant for the English throne when her brother, William Adelin died when the vessel he was on, the White Ship foundered due to excessive drinking by the crew.  Eventually, The Empress’s son, Henry became Henry II of England.

• James Busby, father of Australian wine industry born in 1801.

• The 1863 The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art includes an ad from James L. Denman, Wine Merchant who sells  Greek, Hungarian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines.

• In 1890 Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Circular reports that the Senate Finance Committee is “bent upon having the administrative customs bill become a law as soon as possible,” despite objections from New York importers.

December 27th - 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.

• Guillaume Du Fay, the Franco- Flemish Renaissance composer first identified as the Canon of Cambrai in documentation when he received 36 lots of wine for the feast of St. John the Evangelist in 1440.

• The Methuen Treaty, that established the wine trade between Portugal and England was signed in 1703. This gave Britons access to Portuguese wine during war with France.

• Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist who demonstrated that microorganisms contaminated fermenting beverages thus allowing him to invent the process of "pasteurization" was born in 1822.

• French actor, Gérard Depardieu was born in 1948.  He also owns Chateau de Tigne in Anjou, Loire Valley, France but also owns vineyards in Bordeaux, Languedoc, Algeria, Argentina, Morocco, Spain, Sicily and the United States.

• The Valpolicella DOC designation was established in 1990.  It is made in the Italian region of Verona.

• The Australian Geographical Indications "The Peninsulas” "Far North” "Fleurieu" "Limestone Coast” and"Mount Lofty Ranges" were registered in 1996.

• National Fruitcake Day (Fruitcake is preserved with brandy or fortified wines).

November 29th - 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.

• Amos Bronson Alcott was born in 1799. An American teacher and writer he joined with his family and Charles Lane to create an ideal society, called Fruitlands.  They believed,  "Our wine is water,—flesh, bread;—drugs, fruits.” The problem is that the soil wasn’t arable and no one really knew how to farm.  Alcott is the father of author, Louisa May Alcott.

• Wilhelm Hauff, A German writer was born in 1802.  He is author of the story, The Wine-Ghosts of Bremen.

• The Whitman massacre occurred in 1847.  Marcus and Narcissa Whitman came to Washington state to establish a mission among the Cayuse people.  After a measles outbreak they were attacked for having brought the disease to the Cayuse.  This area is now the Walla Walla AVA.

• The treaty to create an International Wine Office was signed in 1924.  It was signed at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Texas' Hill Country AVA was designated in 1991.

• The Australian Geographical Indication "Padthaway" was registered in 1999.

November 28th - 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.

• Ferdinand Magellan passes through what became known as the Strait of Magellan. When provisioning his ships he paid more for Sherry than for weapons. This was perhaps the wrong choice as he was killed during the battle by angry Filipinos.

• California Fruit News in 1916 reported that the steamer Sonoma left San Francisco for Australia and the South Pacific carrying wine bound for Australia and Honolulu.

• Maynard A. Joslyn who lead the research to rebirth the California wine industry following the end of Prohibition in 1933 died in 1984. His research included quality issues with wine, including alcoholic content, and content of unfavorable items in alcohol (acidity, sulfur dioxide, and turbidity).

• The Appalachian High Country AVA was created in 2016.

• It is the feast day of St. James of the Marches.  An Italian friar, he is depicted with a wine filled chalice often with a snake trying to escape.  It is thought to refer to his attempted poisoning by King Tvrtko of Bosnia.

November 12 - 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.

• North Carolina ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1789.  It is home of the Appalachian High Country, Haw Valley, Swan Creek, Yadkin Valley and Upper Hiwassee Highlands viticultural areas.  

• King George I of Greece returns after his country is freed from the Ottoman Empire in 1912.  The king grew his own grapes for wine, Chateau Décélie.

• The Australian Geographical Indication "Riverina" was registered in 1998.

• AOC Aloxe-Corton et Aloxe-Corton 1er cru were designated an AOC in 2007.

October 26th - This Date in Wine History

Image courtesy of De Bortoli Wines

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.

• One of the first known serial killers, Gilles de Rais was executed in 1440 in Nantes, Brittany.  Young victims were dressed in expensive clothing, given an extravagant meal and hippocras, a sweetened, spiced wine before being tortured, murdered and dismembered.

• The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure reports from Bonn that the grape harvest of 1775 was so beyond expectation that there would be no empty casks available to make cider on the Moselle.

• Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V was crowned as King of Germany in 1520.  Charles was known for disliking wine, preferring to drink beer instead.

• Arizona's Sonoita AVA was designated in 1984.

• Deen De Bortoli of De Bortoli wines of Australia died in 2003.

October 16th - 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.

• Marie Antoinette, whose breasts are rumored to be the model of the shape of the champagne coupe was executed in 1793.

• The SS  America left Bremen bound for Baltimore with 225 barrels of wine in 1889.

• Joachim von Ribbentrop was executed in 1946.  A German wine merchant, he became Reich Minister of Foreign Affairs under Adolf Hitler.  He was found guilty of Crimes Against Humanity during the Nuremberg trials and hanged.

• The Australian Geographical Indications "Langhorne Creek" and "Lenswood" were registered in 1998.

• The French have a saying, « Pour la Saint-Gall, le raisin fait du mauvais vin. » or "For St. Gallen, the grapes make bad wine. "

August 31st - 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.

• Charles Baudelaire, a French poet, essayist and translator of Edgar Allan Poe died in Paris in 1867 at the age of 46. His poetry contained thematic elements including: sex, death, lesbianism, sacred and profane love, metamorphosis, melancholy, correction of the city, lost innocence, oppressiveness of living and wine.
• Per Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Circular shows that the ship, Martello left the port of Hull in 1887, loaded with wine bound for NYC.
• Len Evans, Australia’s leading ambassador of wine, was born in 1930.
• The Trebbiano di Romagna DOC was created in 1973.  The grape known as Trebbiano in Italy is referred to as Ugni Blanc in France.
• Missouri's Ozark Highlands AVA was designated in 1987.

August 28th - 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.

• Jane Howard, second wife of  Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk died in 1693.  She was born Jane Bickerton, daughter of Robert Bickerton, Gentleman of the Wine Cellar for Charles II.
• Junipero Serra who brought the first cuttings of vitis vinifera to Northern California died in 1784.
• The Italian wine designation Malvasia of Casorzo d'Asti DOC was created in 1968.
• The Italian wine designation Sardinia Semidano DOC was established in 1995.
• The Italian wine designation Vin Santo del Chianti DOC was created in 1997.
• Foster’s Brewing of Australia bought Beringer Wine of Napa California in 2000.
• The Australian wine indication High Eden wine region was registered in 2001.

August 19th - 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.

• The Roman Festival of Vinalia Rustica, celebrating the grape harvest was celebrated.
• Marcus Aurelius Probus who lifted the ban on vineyard planting in the Roman Empire was born in 232.
• Elizabeth Stuart was born in 1596.  After her marriage to Frederick V, Prince of Palatine and the Rhine, they began their journey to Heidelberg, meeting people from his kingdom and sampling local foods and wines.
• Edmond James de Rothschild, father of the modern Israeli wine industry was born in 1845.
• Junta Nacional do Vinho was created in 1937.
• Southern Flinders Ranges was entered into the Register of Protected Names by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corp. in 2003.

August 17th - 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.

• Cesare Borgia resigns the cardinalate in 1498, later that day he is named Duke of Valentinous.  He is best thought of as someone who poisoned the wine of his enemies.
• Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Raleigh set sail for an expedition to the Azores in 1597.  The Earl of Essex was given royal monopoly on sweet wines by Queen Elizabeth.
• Joseph II Holy Roman Emperor allowed residents to sell home made wine, juice and food products Heurigen or Austrian wine inns were created by Imperial decree in 1784. Fir trees hung above the door alerted customers to the arrival of the new season's wine.
• Marcus Garvey was born in 1887 in Jamaica.  He was a founder of Pan-Africanism, the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Black Star Line.  The Black Star Line owned vineyards in Ethiopia to produce fine wines for their voyages.
• Len Evans, Australia’s leading ambassador of wine, died in 2006.

August 15th - 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.

• The city of Vardzia was consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia in 1237.  The cave city was home to 25 wine cellars with 185 wine jars buried in the floor.
• Gabriel Báthory was born in 1589.  A prince of Transylvania,  he spent his teenaged years under the guardianship of his uncle, Stephen Báthory where he spent his days drinking wine and having affair with his aunt.
• French oenologist, Alfred de Vergnette de Lamotte, best know for his work on wine preservation, is named a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1869. 
• Barossa Valley and Eden Valley were entered into the Register of Protected Names by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation in 1997.
• The Australian Geographical Indication “Robe" was registered in 2006.
• Fête du Vin à Madiran ends.

July 28th - 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.

• Giovanni della Casa, a Florentine poet and writer on etiquette was born in 1503.  His book, Galateo, includes the advice to Never should one sniff someone else’s wine, for instance, as something might fall out of one’s nose; even though this is unlikely, Della Casa notes, one should not take such risks.
• The Colonial Times and Tasmanian Advertiser of Hobart Town in 1826 W.A. Bethune lists for sales, English soap, French sugar, Tenerife wine in pipes and hogsheads, Liverpool salt and Blue Claith Brandy, Gin and Bronte Madeira.
• Devo member, Jerry Casale was born in 1948.  He has taught wine tasting and is currently owner of The 50 by 50 winery in Napa, California.
• The oldest bottle of Veuve Cliquot was found at Torosay Castle on the Isle of Mull. The bottle was from 1893 and was locked in a sideboard for 150 years.
• The French have a saying. « Si le jour de Saint-Samson, le pinson boit au buisson, tu peux, bon vigneron, défoncer ton poinçon (ou l’amour peut chanter sa chanson, le vin sera bon). » or, “If on the day of St. Samson, a finch drinks in the bush, you can, good winemaker, smash you punch (if the love can sing his song, the wine will be good)”.