August 4th - This Date in Wine History

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Virgin with Chancellor Rolin Jan van Eyck.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.

  • The Hotel-Dieu de Beaune was founded by Nicolas Rolin in 1443. The vineyards of the Hospices de Beaune have supported the Hotel-Dieu for centuries. 
  • Dom Pérignon makes the first champagne in 1693 (or discovers he did).
  • In his speech to the Thirtieth Annual Meeting of the British Medical Association for 1862, John Higginbottom, Esq., F.R.S., Nottingham relays that he had used wine and brandy to treat a post partum hemorrhage in a case dated in 1860.  He later decided liquor was not part of what he considered “best practices”. 
  • Jeanne Calment, the French supercentenarian who lived to 122 years, 164 days died in 1997.  She was known to smoke a cigar or cigarette and drink a small glass of Port everyday from ages 111-114.
  • The Galluccio DOC was established in 1997.  It comes from the Italian province of Caserta and can be made with Falanghina or Aglianico.
  • Happy International Albariño Days!
  • Happy National White Wine Day.
  • Happy Mead Day.