March 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.

• Jan Fijt, a Flemish Baroque painter known for creepy still life of hunting dogs and dead game but also responsible for beautiful flower paintings and food still lifes  such as A Lobster in a Porcelain Dish was born in 1611.

• Theodore de Mayerne, a Swiss physician who cared for Henri IV of France, James I, Charles I and Charles II of England died in 1655 from an excess of drinking of bad wine.

• John Snow, the father of modern epidemiology, anaesthesia and hygiene who proved that the cholera outbreak in London in 1854 was associated with one water pump was born in 1813. During the 1830s he became a vegetarian and teetotaler until his health deteriorated and returned to meat and wine..

• Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820.  Vineyards in the State often make fruit, or country wine or with those of cold hard grapes.

• In the Parliamentary Debates of March 15, 1824, the Marquis of Lansdowne makes a motion to support the independence of south America by remarking that, “The time was, when Spain had the power to root up the vineyards of Mexico, that the inhabitants might rely on the mother country for wine“

• Beware the Ides of March!  Try drinking wines from Lazio, the region surrounding Rome, Greek wines that were said to be Caesar’s favorites and Beaujolais from the village of Juliénas which was named for him.

December 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.

• Emperor Nero who rose to power by poisoning Emperor Claudius’ heir Britannicus  through the water used to cool Britannicus’ wine was born in 37AD. 

• David Teniers the Younger, the Flemish painter was born in 1610.  He is know for the paintings, Festival of the Monkeys, and Smoking and Drinking Monkeys.  In each of these paintings, the  monkeys represent fools in high places.

• Johannes Vermeer, painter of "The Wine Glass, A Lady Drinking and a Gentleman" and "The Girl with the Wineglass" was died in 1675.

• In 1803 Lieutenant De Coetlagon was fined one bottle of wine for annoying Lieutenant Dowlin at mess according to the records of the infantry militia battalions of the County of Southampton.

• Pierre Marie Alexis Millardet who saved the vineyards of France from phylloxera died in 1902.

November 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.

• Roman poet, soldier and senator, Quintus Horatius Flaccus, known as Horace died in 8 BC.  He is known for odes such as “Nunc est bibendum, nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus” or “Now is the time to drink, now the time to dance footloose upon the earth.” FYI, the symbol of the French tire  company, Michelin is named Bibendum.

• Guillaume Du Fay, the Franco- Flemish Renaissance composer died in 1474.  He is noted as the Canon of Cambrai in documentation when he received 36 lots of wine for the feast of St. John the Evangelist.

• Illinois' Shawnee Hills AVA was designated in 2006.

• Oregon's Chehalem Mountains AVA was designated in 2006.

November 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.

• Ignace Paderewski, Polish pianist, composer and statesman was born in 1860.  In 1913 he moved to Paso Robles, California and later planted Zinfandel.

• The California Fruit News of 1916, indicated that the steamship “Governor” left San Francisco for British Columbia with a shipment of wine, fruits, vegetables and legumes. 

• California's Sierra Foothills AVA was designated in 1987. 

• Belgium's "Heuvellandse wijn,” "Vlaamse landwijn,” (vin de pays flamand) and "Vlaamse mousserende kwaliteitswijn” (vin mousseux de qualité kwaliteitswijn " AOCs were designated in 2005.

October 20th - This Date in Wine History

Photo courtesy of Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof - 76833 Siebeldingen, GERMANY

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.

• Flemish painter, Simon de Vos, was born in 1603.  His paintings often depict people at social gatherings with wine, such as the “Wedding at Cana” and “Gathering of Smokers and Drinkers”.

• South African chemist and viticulturist, Abraham Izak Perold was born in 1880.

• Italy’s Rosso Conero DOC was created in 1990.

• Italy’s Verduno Pelaverga DOC was created in 1995.

• Spain's Rioja DOCa was created in 2004.

• Happy National Brandied Fruit Day!

• National Sweetest Day!

October 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.

• Abraham van Riebeeck, Dutch merchant and Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies was born in 1653 in what is now South Africa.  His father, Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town produced the first known wine in South Africa.

• Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens died in 1678.  His painting, The King Drinks is a celebration of food, wine and merriment among family.

• Mike Ditka, famed Chicago Bear player and coach was born in 1939.  He partnered with Terlato Wines to produce Mike Ditka Wines.

• California's Benmore Valley AVA was designated in 1991.

• Vincent DeDomenico died in 2007.  He was an inventor of Rice-A-Roni and the founder of the Napa Valley Wine Train.

October 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.

• Virgil born today in 70 BCE wrote the Georgics, whose second volume deals with viticulture matters and includes a description of early ice wines.

• Flemish painter, Simon de Vos, died in 1676.  His paintings often depict people at social gatherings with wine, such as the “Wedding at Cana” and “Gathering of Smokers and Drinkers”.

• Mata Hari the Dutch courtesan, dancer and spy was executed by firing squad in 1917.  While she was awaiting execution she was brought a steady supply of champagne and meals from nearby restaurants.

• ‘Red Red Wine’ by UB40 was number 1 on the charts in 1988.

• Today is Pennsylvania Wine Day.

September 11th - 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.

• Jan Fijt, a Flemish Baroque painter known for creepy still life of hunting dogs and dead game but also responsible for beautiful flower paintings and food still lifes  such as A Lobster in a Porcelain Dish died in 1661. 

• The Barsac,  Chénas  and Moulin-à-vent AOCs were created in 1936.

• California's St. Helena AVA was designated in 1995.

• The Vermentino di Gallura DOCG was established in 1996.

• Spain's Rías Baixas DO was created in 1997.

• Happy California Wine Month!

August 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.

• Guillaume Du Fay, the Franco- Flemish Renaissance composer was born in 1397.  He is noted as the Canon of Cambrai in documentation when he received 36 lots of wine for the feast of St. John the Evangelist.
• Pierre-François Bouchard died in 1822.  He was known for discovering the Rosetta Stone.  It contains records from Ptolemy V including donations of wine to temples and vineyard harvests.
• The Sannio DOC was named in 1997.  The region, in Campania produces red, white, rose and sparkling wine from Aglianisco, Barbera, Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Fiano, Greco, Moscato, Piedirosso, Sangiovese, Sciascinoso and Trebbiano.
• Happy International Albariño Days!

July 9th - 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.

• Stephen Báncsa, a Hungarian cardinal died in 1270.  As Archbishop of Esztergom, he donated a tithe of wine to the canons of St. Adelbert Cathedral.
• The SS Gellert left Le Havre in 1887 bound for NYC with a shipment of wine.
• The Carema and Sangiovese di Romagna DOC were created in 1967.
• The Austrian government issued a health warning regarding diethylene glycol contaminated wines in 1985.
• The Belgian AOC Hagelandse wijn was designated in 1997.

July 2nd - 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.

• Flemish painter, Theodoor Rombouts was born in 1637.  He created paintings such as Musical Company with Bacchus shown above.  Many of his paintings show card playing and drinking.
• Nathaniel de Rothschild, founder of the French wine-making branch of the Rothschild family was born in 1812. 
• The Chianti Classico DOCG designation was established in 1984.
• The Ozark Mountain AVA was designated in 1986. 
• California's Oakville AVA  and Rutherford AVA were designated in 1993.

May 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.

• Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders was crowned the first Emperor of the Latin Empire in 1204 at the Hagia Sophia.  His reign ended with Tsar Kalyan of Bulgaria killed him in 1205 and turned his skull into a drinking cup.
• New York's The Hamptons, Long Island AVA was designated in 1985.
• Robert Mondavi died in 2008.
• The French have a saying, « À la Saint-Honoré, s'il fait gelée, le vin diminue de moitié. » or, “If it freezes on St. Honoré’s day, wine will be diminished by half.”

March 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. 

• Cagnina di Romagna was made a DOC in 1988.
• Pagadebit di Romagna DOC was created in 1988.
• Traditional date for Bacchanalia, celebrating Bacchus, God of Wine.
• Date for the Liber Pater, which replaced the Bacchanalia, celebrated god of Italian fertility, wine and services.
• Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!  While not a holiday traditionally associated with wine, if you want a wine with green highlights may we suggest a cold climate Sauvignon Blanc or Vinho Verde (which really translates as Green Wine).
• Happy Ag Appreciation Week  Remember, without ag, there is  no wine!
• It is the feast day of St. Gertrude of Nivelles, the patron saint of gardeners and travelers.

March 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. 

• Jan Fijt, a Flemish Baroque painter known for creepy still life of hunting dogs and dead game but also responsible for beautiful flower paintings and food still lifes such as A Lobster in a Porcelain Dish was born in 1611.
• Theodore de Mayerne, a Swiss physician who cared for Henri IV of France, James I, Charles I and Charles II of England died in 1655 from an excess of drinking of bad wine.
• John Snow, the father of modern epidemiology, anesthesia and hygiene who proved that the cholera outbreak in London in 1854 was associated with one water pump was born in 1813. During the 1830s he became a vegetarian and teetotaler until his health deteriorated and returned to meat and wine.
• Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820.  Vineyards in the State often make fruit, or country wine or with those of cold-hardy grapes.
• In the Parliamentary Debates of March 15, 1824, the Marquis of Lansdowne makes a motion to support the independence of South America by remarking that, “The time was, when Spain had the power to root up the vineyards of Mexico, that the inhabitants might rely on the mother country for wine“
• Beware the Ides of March!  Try drinking wines from Lazio, the region surrounding Rome, Greek wines that were said to be Caesar’s favorites and Beaujolais from the village of Juliénas which was named for him.

March 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. 

• Johann Rudolf Glauber was born in 1604.  He was a German-Dutch alchemist who wrote about improvements in wine making and is considered an early chemist or chemical engineer.
• Parliament passed a duty of 7l. per tun of Madeira and 10s per tun of Portuguese and Spanish wine in 1764.
• William Shilling of Baltimore, MD received a patent  in 1868 for an apparatus for distilling spiritus liquors… specifically “low” wine.
• Paul Draper winemaker at Ridge Vineyards in California was born in 1936 .
• Hugh Johnson OBE, British author and wine expert was born in 1939.
• It is the feast day of St. Himelin.  He became while returning from a pilgrimage to Rome.  He ask a girl for water and was refused due to plague in the area.  When she relented, the water, miraculously turned into wine.  He died of the plague three days later.  

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

December 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.

• Sabina Bacharsch pled guilty in 1894 of selling adulterated wine containing salicylic acid in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was fined $200.
• The Belgian AOC "Haspengouw wijn" was designated in 2000.
• It is the feast day of Nicholas of Myra, patron of bakers, barrel makers, brewers and coopers.

November 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 died in 1474.  He is noted as the Canon of Cambrai in documentation when he received 36 lots of wine for the feast of St. John the Evangelist.
• Illinois' Shawnee Hills AVA was designated in 2006.
• Oregon's Chehalem Mountains AVA was designated in 2006.

November 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.

• The California Fruit News indicated that the steamship “Governor” left San Francisco for British Columbia with a shipment of wine, fruits, vegetables and legumes. 
• California's Sierra Foothills AVA was designated in 1987. 
• Belgium's "Heuvellandse wijn,” "Vlaamse landwijn,” (vin de pays flamand) and "Vlaamse mousserende kwaliteitswijn” (vin mousseux de qualité kwaliteitswijn " AOCs were designated in 2005.

October 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.

• Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens died in 1678.  His painting, The King Drinks is a celebration of food, wine and merriment among family.
• California's Benmore Valley AVA was designated in 1991.
• Vincent DeDomenico died in 2007.  He was an inventor of Rice-A-Roni and the founder of the Napa Valley Wine Train.