The Western Cape winelands. For most of the twentieth century, what a grower here could plant, produce, and charge was decided by a single organisation. Photograph by Harvey Barrison (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia […]
June 7, 1494: On in this day in 1494 the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed in the Spanish town of Tordesillas. The treaty was essentially an agreement between Portugal and Spain to divide the […]
June 16, 1822: Charles Camille Heidsieck was born. Charles Heidsieck was a French Champagne businessman who created a company in 1851. He popularized Champagne in the U.S. to the point where he earned the […]
September 7, 1714: The War of the Spanish Succession between France and the Holy Roman Empire (Austria) ended after over a decade. France could not export products to Britain during the war. Since France […]
September 3, 1758: King Joseph I of Portugal barely survived an assassination attempt outside Lisbon when three men intercepted his unmarked carriage outside the Portuguese capital. In the weeks that followed the Marchioness Leonor […]
April 16, 778: Louis the Pious was born. From 813, Louis the Pious, also known as the Fair and the Debonaire, co-ruled the Roman Empire with his father, Charlemagne. He reigned as king of […]
September 10, Every Year: International Port Wine Day September 10, 1756: The Companhia Geral da Agricultura des Vinhos do Alto Douro (which translates to the Company for the Cultivation of Vineyards in the Upper […]
May 20, 1929: Unofficially referred to as the Wickersham Commission, the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement was founded by President Herbert Hoover and served throughout his administration. Its mission was to investigate […]
November 4, 1592 : Gerhard Van Honthorst was born. He was a Dutch painter from Utrecht who was a deep admirer of Italian art, traveling to Italy and learning from Caravaggio's works. One of […]
June 25, 1786: George Washington writes to George William Fairfax that his manner of living is plain, with 'a glass of wine and a bit of mutton' always ready for welcome guests. June 25, […]
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