January 11th - This Date in Wine History

/
Ezra_Cornell.jpg

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.

  • Mt. Etna erupts in 1693. The eruption enriches the fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south.
  • William Thomas Brande was born in 1788 in London.  A chemist, he was the first to be able to calculate the alcohol content of wine, cider, and ale.  He also believed that distilled spirits were toxic, while wine and beer, wholesome.
  • Ezra Cornell was born in 1807.  Cornell was a founder of Western Union and endowed Cornell University which is  known for its viticulture, enology and agricultural sciences programs.