August 17, 1784: In Austria, an imperial order issued by Josef II (the “Josephinische Zirkularverordnung”) permitted all wineries to sell home-grown food alongside their wine all year. This gave rise to the particular Austrian tradition known as Heuriger. Customers would be notified when the new season’s wine arrived by fir branches hanging over their entrances.

August 17, 1916: On this day, A Drinking Song by William Butler Yeats was published. Yeats presents a somewhat amusing and sometimes heartbreaking image in this meditation on love and life.

August 17, 2017: New Zealand winemakers Scott Berry, Rebecca Cope, and Andrew Moore were charged with fraud for sending thousands of misidentified containers of wines to international buyers. New Zealand wineries were concerned that the lawsuit would damage their sector because of a few rogue offenders.

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