September 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.

• Robert of Geneva was elected Pope Clement VII in 1378.  He was the first of the Avignon Antipopes which brought us the delicious Chateauneuf-du-Papes.

• Ferdinand Magellan left with 270 sailors from Cadiz Spain in 1519 to circumnavigate the globe.  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.

• Italy’s Solopaca  and Malvasia delle Lipari DOCs were established in 1973.

• Baron Brisse who shared a bottle of wine from Alsace harvest of 1472, which had been given by the director of the Hospices de Strasbourg with Frederic Mistral and Victor Balaguer was born in 1813.

• Portugal’s Rota dos Vinhos do Dão was created in 1995.

• Happy California Wine Month!

• The French have a saying, “Gelée blanche pour Saint-Eustache grossit le raisin qui tache.“ or White jelly for Saint-Eustace magnifies the grape that stain.

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.

April 27th - 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 Battle of Mactan was fought between the warriors of Lapu-Lapu and the forces of Ferdinand Magellan When provisioning his ships he paid more for Sherry than for weapons. This was perhaps the wrong choice as he was killed during the battle by angry Filipinos.
• The Condrieu AOC was recognized in 1940.
• The Australian Wine Research Institutes was created in 1955.