April 4th - This Date in Wine History

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Heins_-_Robert_Walpole.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.

  • For circumnavigating the globe, Sir Francis Drake was knighted in 1581.  During the voyage he sacked the port of Valparaiso and captured a ship of Chilean wine.

  • King Frederick II of Denmark and Norway died in 1588.  He was considered a typical Danish king and was a lover of hunting, wine, women and feasting.

  • Robert Walpole, The Earl of Orford and Prime Minister of Great Britain becomes Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1721.  He proposed that the tariff on wine and tobacco be replaced by an excise tax.  Revenues had fallen due to smuggling.

  • Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Circular reports that the ship Cibele left the Port of Genoa bound for NYC laden with wine.

  • Washington's Yakima Valley AVA was designated in 1983.

October 31st - This Date in Wine History

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Khan Krum of Bulgaria getting ready to drink wine from the skull of Nikephoros I

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.

  • Nikephoros I of the Byzantine Empire was crowned in 802.  His reign didn’t last long.  He was killed in 811 and his skull became his conqueror’s wine cup.
  • Christopher Columbus acknowledges a debt of 48 Genoese pounds for wine delivered to him and his father.
  • Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany died in 1723.  Among his accomplishments was the establishment of the Chianti wine region.