July 24th - This Date in Wine History
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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.
- Samuel Pepys met and went out with the children Vice Admiral Sir George Carteret and were out so late they were unable to get a ferryboat back to the house, so they slept in a coach on the Isle of Dogs until one was available, feasted on wine and snacks then headed home.
- The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction in 1824 reported on the Palace of the King of the Sandwich Islands, including the quote:
“But where to find that happiest spot below,
who can direct, when all pretend to know?
The shuddering tenant of the frigid zone
Boldly proclaims that happiest spot his own:
Extols the treasures of his stormy seas,
And his long nights of revelry and ease.
The naked negro, panting at the line,
Boasts of his golden sands and palmy wine, -
Basks in the glare, or stems the tepid wave,
And thanks his gods for all the good they gave.”
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- President McKinley entered into a treaty with the King of Portugal to reduce tariffs on wine in 1897.