December 12th - This Date in Wine History

1920px-Edvard_Munch_-_Self-Portrait_with_a_Bottle_of_Wine_-_Google_Art_Project (1).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.

  • Pennsylvania ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1787.  It is home to the Central Delaware Valley, Cumberland Valley, Lake Erie, Lancaster Valley,  and Lehigh Valley.

  • Edvard Munch was born in 1863.  He was a painter and photographer known for “The Scream” as well as “Self-Portrait with a Bottle of Wine”.

  • In 1887. J.T. Doyle of Cupertino revealed that his plot of long-pruned Grossblaue produced a “Thin, dry wine with pronounced astringency.  It was racked and pasteurized for safety”  This wine improved considerably by June of the following year.  Grossblaue is also known as the Slovenian wine grape, Žametovka.

  • Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Circular reported that Senator Henry W. Blair introduced a bill to create a commission to look at Alcohol and taxation.  The purpose of the commission would be to reduce alcohol usage.  

  • California's Madera AVA was designated in 1984.

March 11th - This Date in Wine History

(Portrait_of_Lawrence_Welk,_Down_Beat_office,_New_York,_N.Y.,_between_1946_and_1948)_(LOC)_(5148807828).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. 

  • Lawrence Welk, the creator of champagne music, was born in 1903 in North Dakota.
  • The Juliénas  AOC was named in 1938. 
  • The Texas Davis Mountains AVA was designated in 1998.
  • Spain's Mondéjar DO was created in 2007.
  • Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley AVA was designated in 2008.
  • The French have a saying, « Qui a bu à la Sainte-Rosine, boira à la Sainte-Blandine. » or “He who drank at Sainte-Rosine, will drink at Sainte-Blandine (June 2).

March 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.


  • The JuliénasAOC was named in 1938. 
  • The Texas Davis Mountains AVA was designated in 1998. The primary grapes grown here are Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.
  • Spain's Mondéjar DO was created in 2007. The primary grapes grown here are Tempranillo and Macebo.
  • Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley AVA was designated in 2008.  The most common grapes produced here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Vidal Blanc.