March 19th - 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.

• During the reign of Charles I, 1667, it was reported that Rear-Admiral Utbert took  five or six Dutch and French prizes (ships) which were filled with wine, brandy and salt.

• Philip (Filippo) Mazzei, Italian born physical and viticulturist died in 1816.  He brought plants, seeds, silkworms and farms from Lucca, Italy. Thomas Jefferson gave Mazzei land too start a vineyard.

• Pennsylvania and New Jersey's Central Delaware Valley AVA was designated in 1984.

• California's Yountville AVA was designated in 1999.

• Today is the feast of St. Joseph who is honored with a table of meatless foods (as it is lent) and wine offered to the poor.  St.  Joseph is the patron Saint of the working man.

February 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.

• The St. Scholastica Day riot was sparked by Oxford students complaining about the quality of the wine at Swindlestock Tavern in 1355.

• Birthday of Aaron Hill, English writer of “The Walking Statue; Or, the Devil in the Wine Cellar” He was born in 1685.

• Jefferson Davis is notified in 1861 that he has been made the provisional President of the Confederates States of America.  While at West Point, Davis was a participant in the Egg Nog Riots.  He was held under house arrest for  his role but allowed to graduate.

• Nicholas Longworth, American banker and winemaker died in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1863.  He was a noted winemaker known particularly for producing sparkling Catawba wines that were highly acclaimed in Europe.

• In a letter dated 1890 to Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Circular, the firm of Culbert & Taylor of 39 Broadway in New York, announce that they are the agent’s for Martini & Rossi.

• Golfer Greg Norman was born in 1955.  He owns Greg Norman Estates in South Australia and California.

January 23rd - 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.

• Mary Randolph, author of the cookbook, The Virginia House-Wife; Or, Methodical Cook died in 1828.  She includes recipes for currant wine and mead and included recipes that included wine.  Mary Randolph and her husband lived in a house in Richmond called Moldavia that was later owned by Edgar Allen Poe.

• The Menetou-Salon AOC was named in 1959.

• California's Clarksburg AVA and Virginia's Monticello AVA were designated in 1984.

• California's Sonoma Mountain AVA was designated in 1985.

• Salvador Dali dies in 1989.  The surrealist artist created a wine book, The Wines of Gala, as well as a cookbook, The Dinners of Gala. (Gala was his wife).

• Oregon's Rogue Valley AVA was designated in 1991.

January 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.

• Enoch L. Johnson was born in 1883.  He was an Atlantic City political and crime boss who was quoted as saying, “We have whisky, wine, women, song and slot machines. I won't deny it and I won't apologize for it. If the majority of the people didn't want them they wouldn't be profitable and they would not exist. The fact that they do exist proves to me that the people want them.”  He was fictionalized in Boardwalk Empire as the character, Nucky Thompson.

• Baron Philippe de Rothschild died in 1988.

• California's San Francisco Bay AVA was designated in 1999.

• The owner of Trump Winery, Donald J. Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States in 2017.

January 9th - 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. 

• Connecticut ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1788. It is home to the Western Connecticut Highlands and Southeastern New England  viticultural areas.

• Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson was given a state funeral in 1806.  He died several months earlier at the battle of Trafalgar but was preserved in a barrel of Brandy mixed with camphor and myrrh.

• Dave Matthews Band front man, Dave Matthews was born in 1967.  He owns Blenheim Vineyards in Albemarle, Virginia.

• The Barbera d'Asti DOC, Barbera del Monferrato DOC and Rubino di Cantavenna DOC were created in 1970; 

• The Bianco Valdinievole DOC was established in 1976.

• The Lacrima di Morro d'Alba DOC was created in 1985.

• The Rosso Conero Reserve DOCG designation were established in 2004.

December 28th - 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 Cape of Good Hope passed laws respecting the sale of  wines in 1762.

• Iowa was admitted as a state in 1846.  It is home to the Loess Hills District and Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural areas.

• Woodrow Wilson was born in 1856.  He was President at the beginning of Prohibition, which restricted the SALE of alcohol but not the consumption.  At the end of his term as president, Wilson had his wine collection moved to his new residence.

• California's Shenandoah Valley AVA was designated in 1982.

• Virginia's Shenandoah Valley AVA was designated in 1982.

December 19th - 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 Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery  left England in 1606 with colonists who would found Jamestown, Virginia.  Jamestown was underwritten by the Virginia Company that required settlers to provide for their own needs and hence viticulture came to Virginia.

• A note from 1834 in the Register of Debates in Congress indicates that American’s imported $200,000 of wine from France in 1824 and increasing to $920,000 in 1833.

• Albert Abraham Michelson, the first American to win a Nobel Prize in a science was born in 1852.  Born in Poland, he moved to California in 1855.  His childhood home in Murphys Camp is now a tasting room for Hovey Wine.

• In a letter from 1883, Giuseppe del Puente of 5th Ave., New York praises Dr. Angelo Mariani for his fine wine, Vin Mariani. Vin Mariani was made from Bordeaux wine treated with coca leaves.

December 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.

• George Washington died in 1799.  He was a member of the Virginia’s House of Burgesses from 1758-1765.  He plied the voters with 170 gallons of rice punch, beer, wine, hard cider and brandy.

• Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes the French painter was born in 1824.  He is known for his work, The Wine Press.

• ‘I heard it Through the Grapevine’ by Marvin Gaye was #1 on the charts in 1968.

• Spain's Conca de Barberá DO was created in 1989.

• Chile's Declaration of Appellations was approved in 1994.

• Oregon's Applegate Valley AVA was designated in 2000.

December 11th - 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 Mongols begin to retreat in 1241 because Ogodei, son of Ghengis Khan died of alcohol poisoning.

• George Mason, Virginia planter and delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was born in 1725.  He was a pioneer in the Virginia wine industry and was a patron of Maurice Pound who experimentented on his behalf.

• South African chemist and viticulturist, Abraham Izak Perold died in 1941

• It is Indiana day to celebrate the Hoosier State’s admission into the United States in 1816.  Indiana is home to two viticultural areas.  The Ohio River Valley and Indiana Uplands.

• It is the feast day of St. Gentian.  He is the patron saint of innkeepers.

November 28th - 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.

• Ferdinand Magellan passes through what became known as the Strait of 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.

• California Fruit News in 1916 reported that the steamer Sonoma left San Francisco for Australia and the South Pacific carrying wine bound for Australia and Honolulu.

• Maynard A. Joslyn who lead the research to rebirth the California wine industry following the end of Prohibition in 1933 died in 1984. His research included quality issues with wine, including alcoholic content, and content of unfavorable items in alcohol (acidity, sulfur dioxide, and turbidity).

• The Appalachian High Country AVA was created in 2016.

• It is the feast day of St. James of the Marches.  An Italian friar, he is depicted with a wine filled chalice often with a snake trying to escape.  It is thought to refer to his attempted poisoning by King Tvrtko of Bosnia.

August 23rd - 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 London Public Record office records receipt of delivery of 12 pipes of Canary wine at Potomac Landing in 1633.
• The Muniments of the Royal Burgh of Irvine for 1681 lists payments for 9 mutchkins of claret between Bayliffe John Mountgomrie and Edward and Robert Wallaces.
• The 1894 records of the Ohio Dairy and Food Commissioner describes the case of the State v. Casper J. Vandrau who was charged with with selling grape wine adulterated by benzoic acid.  Vandrau pled guilty.
• It is the feast day of St. Rose of Lima.  She is a patron of gardeners.  No gardens?  No wine.

August 9th - 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.

• Hieronymus Bosch dies in 1516.  He was a Dutch painter known for his detailed works such as The Marriage at Cana; The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, and the Allegory of Gluttony and Lust. 
• Mary Randolph, author of the cookbook, The Virginia House-Wife; Or, Methodical Cook was born in 1762.  She includes recipes for currant wine and mead and included recipes that included wine.
• Henry David Thoreau’s Walden; or, Life in the Woods was published in 1854.  It contains "I would fain keep sober always.... I believe that water is the only drink for a wise man; wine is not so noble a liquor.... Of all ebriosity, who does not prefer to be intoxicated by the air he breathes?” (crazy talk!)
• William Vere Cruess, food scientist responsible for rebirth of the California wine industry after prohibition was born in 1886.  He is also credited with creating the formula for fruit cocktail.

August 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.

• Louis François, Prince of Conti died in 1776.  He purchased the Burgundy vineyard, La Romanée in 1760.  It has been known as Romanée-Conti ever since.
• In 1817, Thomas Jefferson, writing from Monticello wrote about the purchase of wine from Mr. Walltone.
• The Guardia Sanframondi or Guardiolo DOC was established in 1993.  The wines are made of Malvasia Bianca di Candia and Sangiovese
• Spain's Yecla DO was created in 2002.  Grapes allowed to be used in this region include: Airen, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Garnacha tinta, Garnacha Tintorera, Macabeo, Malvasia, Merlot, Merseguera, Monastrell, Syrah and Tempranillo.
• Happy International Albariño Days!

July 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.

• Frances Stewart Howard, Duchess of Richmond was born in 1578.  After being orphaned at 14, she was married off to the son of a rich wine merchant, alderman and patron of the the Virginia Company.  
• The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal in 1842 had an article the treatment for insanity including medicines made with warm water, wine and molasses.
• In a letter dated July 27, 1888, J.W. Hyde of Grace Church, Waterville, NY, took the opinion that if the Lord chose wine as one of the symbols of the Eucharist, that it is not the job of men to question his wisdom.
• In a 1901 report from Ambassador Thornwall Haynes indicates that Portuguese wine producers requested permission to distill some of the 132,000,000 gallons of surplus wine to ease the storage crisis.
• Olympian Peggy Fleming was born in 1948. She was owner of Fleming Jenkins Vineyards and Winery with her husband.  The winery closed in 2012.

July 4th - 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 1660, Samuel Pepys met with Mr. Butler and William Bowyer at Westminster Hall and took them to the Sun Tavern where he gave them lobster and wine.
• Founding father's toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a glass (or more) or Madeira.
• Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and wine lover died in 1826. John Adams did as well but he didn't supply the government with wine from his own collection.
• It is the feast day of Blessed Catherine Jarrige.  She helped priests escape the French Revolution providing vestments, wine and wafers for mass.  She also disguised a priest as a peasant and poured wine on him to make it look like he was drunk.  When encountering a soldier, she began to berate her “husband” the soldier said, “Citizen if I had a wife like that I’d drown her in the nearest river” to which the priest responded, “Citizen so would I!”
• Happy 4th of July from Qorkz!

June 25th - 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.

• A lawsuit was filed against New Haven's first publican, Henry Tomlinson in 1656 for charging more for strong water, wine and beer than was allowed and for keeping a disorderly house. He allowed young men and maids to attend his house, dance and play at shuffle board. (The horror!)
• Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1788.  It is home to the Appalachian High Country, Middleburg Virginia, Monticello, North Fork of Roanoke, North Neck George Washington Birthplace, Rocky Knob, Shenandoah Valley and Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
• Antoni Gaudí was born in 1852.  He was an architect known for the style known as Catalan Modernism.  He is famous for the Sagrada Familia and the Güell wine cellars.
• The Bonfires Wine and Spirit Circular for this date in 1887 contained an advertisement for Roederer Dry Champagne as a new product in the United States.
• Robert Lawrence Balzer, America's first serious wine journalist was born in 1912.

June 21st - 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.

• Leonhard Rauwolf was born in 1535.  He was a German physician, botanist and traveller known for his writings.  He describes his travels in Libya as “The town of Tripoli is pretty large, full of people, and of good account, because of the great deposition of merchandises that are brought thither daily both by sea and land. It is situated in a pleasant country, near the promontory of the high mountain Libanus, in a great plain toward the sea-shore, where you may see abundance of vineyards, and very fine gardens, enclosed with hedges for the most part…”
• John Smith, English soldier and author died in 1631.  He helped establish the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia.  In 1609, while the colonists were approaching starvation, he bought food and wine on credit to feed them.
• New Hampshire ratified the US Constitution in 1788.  It is home to over 50 wineries and cider houses.  (Aurore, Cayuga, Chancellor, Chardonnay, De Chaunac, Diamond, Frontenac, Leon Millot, Marechal Foch, Niagara, Noiret, Riesling, Seyval blanc, Vidal blanc, Vignoles).
• The Aleatico di Gradoli DOC was created in 1972.
• Charles Mara paid $24,000 for a case of 1979 Opus One Cabernet Sauvignon.  
• Happy Lambrusco Day!

April 21st - 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.

• Parilia, a Roman agricultural festival honoring the founding of Rome by Romulus was celebrated with beverage burranica, a combination of milk and sapa (boiled wine), after drinking this the festival would draw to a close when shepherds ran through a ceremonial fire three times.
• Dutch painter Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten was born in Haarlem in 1630.  He is known for painting “Still Life with Oysters” featuring a glass of white  wine as accompaniment. 
• In 1764, Samuel Johnson reported in his diary that as of the first of the year, “I have in some measure forborne excess of strong drink,” and even avoided wine on Easter Sunday.
• Virginia's Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace AVA was designated in 1987.

April 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. 

• Leonardo da Vinci was born in Florence in 1452.  He is said to have employed his lifelong servant Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, known as Salaì who worked in his vineyards and a model before becoming a student of da Vinci and eventually companion.  Upon da Vinci’s death Salaì received half of the vineyards.
• The Titanic sank in in 1912.  Like other ships in the White Star Line, it was not christened with Champagne.
• California’s Arroyo Seco AVA was designated in 1983.
• California's Cole Ranch AVA was designated in 1983.
• California's Santa Ynez Valley AVA was designated in 1983.
• Virginia's North Fork of Roanoke AVA was designated in 1983.

March 19th - 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. 

• Philip (Filippo) Mazzei, Italian born physical and viticulturist died in 1816.  He brought plants, seeds, silkworms, and farms from Lucca, Italy. Thomas Jefferson gave Mazzei land too start a vineyard.
• Pennsylvania and New Jersey's Central Delaware Valley AVA was designated in 1984.
• California's Yountville AVA was designated in 1999. 
• Today is the feast of St. Joseph who is honored with a table of meatless foods (as it is lent) and wine offered to the poor.  St.  Joseph is the patron Saint of the working man.
• Happy Ag Appreciation Week  Remember, without ag, there is no wine!