November 16th - 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.

• Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907.  It is home to the Ozark Mountain viticultural area.  

• The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin was reformed in 1934 in the Caveau Nuiton of Nuits-Saint-Georges.

• Spain's Alella DO andTarragona DO were created in 1976.

• It is the feast day of St. Othmar. He died in exile on the island of Werd in Lake Constance.  His body was moved to St. Gallen in Switzerland.  The men that rowed his body had only one barrel of wine left but it never emptied, no matter how much they drank.  The barrel became one of his attributes.

July 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.

• Flemish painter, Theodoor Rombouts was born in 1637.  He created paintings such as Musical Company with Bacchus shown above.  Many of his paintings show card playing and drinking.
• Nathaniel de Rothschild, founder of the French wine-making branch of the Rothschild family was born in 1812. 
• The Chianti Classico DOCG designation was established in 1984.
• The Ozark Mountain AVA was designated in 1986. 
• California's Oakville AVA  and Rutherford AVA were designated in 1993.

June 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.

• Lisa del Giocondo was born in 1479. She was the daughter of a Chianti vineyard owner and later married Florentine silk merchant.  She was the model for Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous painting, The Mona Lisa.
• Arkansas was admitted to the union in 1836.  It is home to the Altus, Arkansas Mountain and Ozark Mountain viticultural areas.
• California's Mendocino AVA was designated in 1984.
• California's Monterey AVA was designated in 1984.
• It is the feast day of Saint Germaine of Pibrac (France).  She was known to sleep on a pallet vine cuttings from her infancy until the time she died at the age of 22.