March 20th - 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.

• In 1524 Hernán Cortés, Marquis of the Oaxaca Valley decreed that all Spaniards with encomiendas should plant 1,000 Spanish and native grapevines for ever 100 indians in their service.

• The Dutch East India Company was created in 1602.  The South African wine industry, started by Jan van Riebeeck, a company y employee is a legacy.

• Friedrich Hölderlin, German lyric poet was born in 1770 He is known for the poem, Brod und Wein.

• James Christie imported 621 1/2 of port wine and 600lbs of Jesuits bark (cinchona bark, the source of quinine) in 1776.

• Ferdinand Foch, French General, military strategist and Supreme Allied Commander during WWI died in 1929.  The grape Marechal Foch was named in his honor.

• Spain's Plá I Llevant  DO was created in 2001.

• Happy Spring!  It is the Vernal Equinox.

March 15th - 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.

• Jan Fijt, a Flemish Baroque painter known for creepy still life of hunting dogs and dead game but also responsible for beautiful flower paintings and food still lifes  such as A Lobster in a Porcelain Dish was born in 1611.

• Theodore de Mayerne, a Swiss physician who cared for Henri IV of France, James I, Charles I and Charles II of England died in 1655 from an excess of drinking of bad wine.

• John Snow, the father of modern epidemiology, anaesthesia and hygiene who proved that the cholera outbreak in London in 1854 was associated with one water pump was born in 1813. During the 1830s he became a vegetarian and teetotaler until his health deteriorated and returned to meat and wine..

• Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820.  Vineyards in the State often make fruit, or country wine or with those of cold hard grapes.

• In the Parliamentary Debates of March 15, 1824, the Marquis of Lansdowne makes a motion to support the independence of south America by remarking that, “The time was, when Spain had the power to root up the vineyards of Mexico, that the inhabitants might rely on the mother country for wine“

• Beware the Ides of March!  Try drinking wines from Lazio, the region surrounding Rome, Greek wines that were said to be Caesar’s favorites and Beaujolais from the village of Juliénas which was named for him.

December 2nd - 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.

• Hernán Cortés, Conquistador, Governor and Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca died in 1577.  Legend has it that he and his soldiers drank all of their wine so fast after arrival in the new world that one of his first acts as Governor was to require the planting of vineyards throughout New Spain.

• Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, infamously known as the Marquis de Sade died in 1814.  In The 120 Day of Sodom he wrote: “Le duc imita bientôt avec Bande-au-ciel la petite infamie de son ancien ami et il paria, quoique le vit fût énorme, d'avaler trois bouteilles de vin de sens froid pendant qu'on l’enculerait”. or “The Duke soon imitated his old friend's little infamy and wagered that, enormous as Invictus' prick might be, he could calmly down three bottles of wine while lying embuggered upon it.”  He sounds nice.

• The Jurisdication of Saint-Emilion, France was named a United Nations World Heritage Site in 1999

• The South African wine-making co-operative,Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Bpkt, became KWV Ltd. in 2002

• It is the feast day of St. Bibiana.  She is the patron saint of hangovers.

August 18th - 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.

• St. Fiacre of Breuil died in 670. He is the patron saint of gardeners.
• The Siege of Málaga ended in 1487.  This was part of the Reconquista of Moorish Spain, specifically the Emirate of Granada.  The Spanish victors brought “legal” wine back to Málaga.
• Pope Alexander VI dies after drinking poisoned wine in 1503. 
• Virginia Dare, the first English child in the New world was born in 1587.  She disappeared with the rest of the Roanoke Island settlers.  There is a winery named in her honor.
• Hacienda de San Lorenzo, the first winery in the Americas was begun in 1597 by Don Lorenzo Garcia in Santa María de las Parras, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico
• The cornerstone for Waddesdon Manor was laid in 1877.  Built by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild it contains a reproduction of the wine cellar at Château Lafite Rothschild and contains more than 15,000 bottles.  The largest private collection of Rothschild wines in the world.
• Bond girl, Carole Bouquet was born in 1957.  She is owner of Sangue d’oro winery in Sicily, Italy.
• California's Anderson Valley and Willow Creek AVAs were designated in 1983.

August 10th - 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.

• In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese) left Seville, Spain for his around the world voyage. When provisioning his ships he paid more for Sherry than for weapons. This was perhaps the wrong choice as he was killed during the voyage by angry Filipinos.
• Eusebius Kino was born in 1645.  He was an Italian Jesuit and missionary who founded missions throughout Pimeria Alta (Upper Pima) in New Spain.  These missions were located in what is now northern Sonora in Mexico and Arizona.  Some of these missions had vineyards.  There is a wine from Baja California named in his honor.  
• Missouri was admitted to the union in 1821.  It is home to the Augusta, Hermann, Loess Hills, Ozark Highlands and Ozark Mountain viticultural areas.
• Margaux AOC in Bordeaux and the Quarts-de-chaume AOC in the Loire were named in 1954.
• Actor, Antonio Banderas was born in 1960.  As well as starring in Pedro Almodóvar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Tie Me Up! Tie me Down!, he is owner of Anti Banderas in Ribera del Duero in Spain.
• It is the feast day of Saint Lawrence of Rome. He is a patron saint of Vintners who was martyred by grilling.

June 14th - 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.

• Bear Flag Revolt begins in 1846.  Anglo settlers in Sonoma, California, start a rebellion against Mexico and proclaim the California Republic.  The Anglos (mostly American) were prohibited from entering California without permission of the Mexican government and prohibited from renting or buying property.  
• Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Circular for 1887 reports that the ship, Trinacria left the port of Leghorn (Livornio) with a cargo of wine bound for NYC.
• The US Patent Office granted a patent for the Montebello & Co of Mareuil-sur-Ay, Marne, France for Champagne in 1910.
• California's Chalone AVA was designated in 1982.

May 5th - 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.

• 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.

April 30th - 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.

• St. John Baptist de La Salle was born in Reims, France in 1651.  He is the patron saint of teachers and the founder of the first Catholic schools.  He was the son of Nicolle de Moet Brouillet of the family that founded  Moët & Chandon.
• Louisiana was admitted to the Union in 1812.  It is home to the Mississippi Delta viticulturel area.
• The French Foreign Legion celebrate the Battle of Camarón (1863) during the French intervention in Mexico with an excess of cheap French red wine and the wooden hand of Jean Danjou
• It is Walpurgis Night in Northern Europe.  It is supposed to be a night that witches meet and is celebrated with bonfires and other festivities, in particular Finland and Sweden which features Champagne or other sparkling wine.
• The French have a saying, « La pluie, le jour de Saint-Robert, de bon vin remplira ton verre. » which translates to (more or less) “If it rains on St. Robert’s day good wine will fill your glass.”

April 2nd - 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 Bianchello di Metauro DOC was created in 1969.
• The Marsala DOC was created in 1969.
• The Sartène AOC was designated in 1976.
• It is the feast of Acan, the Mayan god of wine (also known as Belch).
• Feast day of St. Urban of Langres, patron saint of vineyard workers.

August 10th - 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.

• In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese) left Seville, Spain for his around the world voyage. When provisioning his ships he paid more for Sherry than for weapons. This was perhaps the wrong choice as he was killed during the voyage by angry Filipinos.
• Eusebius Kino was born in 1645.  He was an Italian Jesuit and missionary who founded missions throughout Pimeria Alta (Upper Pima) in New Spain.  These missions were located in what is now northern Sonora in Mexico and Arizona.  Some of these missions had vineyards.  There is a wine from Baja California named in his honor.  
• Margaux AOC in Bordeaux and the Quarts-de-Chaume AOC in the Loire were named in 1954.
• It is the feast day of Saint Lawrence of Rome. He is a patron saint of Vintners.

June 14th - 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.

• Bear Flag Revolt begins in 1846.  Anglo settlers in Sonoma, California, start a rebellion against Mexico and proclaim the California Republic.  
• The US Patent Office granted a patent for the Montebello & Co of Mareuil-sur-Ay, Marne, France for Champagne.
• California's Chalone AVA was designated in 1982

April 30th - 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.

• St. John Baptist de La Salle was born in Reims, France in 1651.  He is the patron saint of teachers and the founder of the first Catholic schools.  He was the son of Nicolle de Moet Brouillet of the family that founded Moët & Chandon.
• The French Foreign Legion celebrate the Battle of Camarón (1863) during the French intervention in Mexico with an excess of cheap French red wine and the wooden hand of Jean Danjou
• It is Walpurgis Night in Northern Europe.  It is supposed to be a night that witches meet and is celebrated with bonfires and other festivities, in particular Finland and Sweden which features Champagne or other sparkling wine.

March 15th - This Date in Wine History

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Someone thought a lot of himself......

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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.

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• Theodore de Mayerne, a Swiss physician who cared for Henri IV of France, James I, Charles I and Charles II of England died in 1655 from an excess of drinking of bad wine.
• In the Parliamentary Debates of March 15, 1824, the Marquis of Lansdowne makes a motion to support the independence of South America by remarking that, “The time was, when Spain had the power to root up the vineyards of Mexico, that the inhabitants might rely on the mother country for wine“