March 2nd - This Date in Wine History

/
440px-Henry_Clay.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.

  • St. Benedict of Nursia was born in 480.  He is the saint invoked against poison.  His monks tried to poison his wine and then his bread but he was saved by miracles.

  • Henry Clay charged 14shillings for billiards and wine in 1804 from John Postelthwait in Lexington, KY.

  • Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, the future Pope Leo XIII was born in 1810.  He appeared in ads for Vin Mariani a wine and coca leaf tonic.

  • The Texas High Plains AVA was designated in 2003.

May 5th - This Date in Wine History

/
Napoleon Quote.png

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.

  • Samuel Pepys won a quart of sack (sherry) from John Creed for being able to jump over a fountain well.
  • Napoleon died in 1821 in Saint Helena.  he is known for saying "Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it."
  • Eugénie de Montijo was born in 1826.  She was married to Napoleon III who was both President and Emperor of France (sadly, in that order) and was the last empress of France.  She was the grand-daughter of a Scottish wine merchant.
  • French Kiss a movie starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Klein about a thief who steals a diamond necklace to start his own vineyard is released in 1995.
  • Happy Cinco de Derby! (It is Cinco de Mayo and Kentucky Derby Day.

January 10th - This Date in Wine History

/
Törley József.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.

  • John James Dufour, a Swiss immigrant to the U.S., submitted a business plan to the Kentucky Gazette  for the first commercial vineyard.
  • Hungarian sparkling winemaker, József Törley was born in 1858.
  • The Moscato di Cagliari DOC  and  Sant'Anna di Isola Capo Rizzuto DOC were created in 1979.
  • France's Loi Evin controlling alcohol and tobacco advertising went into effect in 1991.

November 5th - This Date in Wine History

/
JohnJamesDuFour.png

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.

  • John James Dufour of Vevey, Switzerland creates the first vineyard in Kentucky in 1798.  He names it First Vineyard.
  • Ruins of the Viking settlement in Vinland was discovered in 1963.
  • The Colline Novaresi DOC was created in 1994.
  • It is National Nachos Day… What wine would you pair with Nachos? (I'm going with Syrah).

April 8th - This Date in Wine History

/
Helena Modjeska

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.

  • Famed actress, Helena Modjeska died in 1909.  She and a small group of Polish artists and aristocrats emigrated to Anaheim, California to create a colony based on Brooks Farm.  They grew muscat grapes which no one would buy but instead stole… The colony failed and Modjeska returned to the theater but created her home at Arden in Anaheim until 1906.
  • The Salice Salentino DOC was created in 1976.
  • The Kanawha River Valley AVA was designated in 1986.