December 18, 890: Abd al-Rahman III was born on this day. He was an Umayyad prince, who controlled Cordoba as its Emir and then as its Caliph from 912 to 961 CE. His proclamation of the second Umayyad Caliphate in 929 CE served as the pinnacle of what is recognized as the golden age of Muslim Spain and Umayyad governance throughout his reign. Abd al-Rahman refrained from using force against Asturias and the Kingdom of Navarre during the first 20 years of his rule. The first thing he had to deal with was the Muwallad rebels. Iberians who were either outspoken Christians or kept their Christian faith a secret and had sided with the rebels backed those wealthy families. These groups, which made up the majority of the populace, were not opposed to backing a powerful leader who would defend them against the Arab aristocracy. With the aid of a Christian-heavy mercenary army, Abd al-Rahman made an effort to conquer them. At his court, Rachman III was accustomed to serving wine, and he accepted it from guests as long as they drank it sparingly. The Taifas made a distinction between wine that was allowed and wine that was not allowed under some of the Taifas monarchs who came after them, though. The Umayyad in Andalusia let the Jews, the region’s most significant group, maintain their traditions. The Christians, sometimes known as the Mozarabs, were permitted and, to some extent, allowed to practice their religion and engage in economic activity. Vine and grapes are frequently used as ornamental elements because viticulture was significant to them.

December 18, 1133: On this day, Archbishop Hildebert de Lavardin of Tours died. He was a theologian, hagiographer, and ecclesiastic from France. He served as archbishop of Tours from 1125 until his death after serving as bishop of Le Mans from 1096 to 1097. His name can alternatively be spelled Hydalbert, Gildebert, or Aldebert, and he is occasionally referred to as Hildebert of Lavardin. There are still letters, poetry, a few sermons, two biographies, and one or two treatises by Hildebert. The title of an edition of his writings put together by the Maurist Antoine Beaugendre, which was printed in Paris in 1708 and republished with additions by J-J Bourassé in 1854, was Venerabilis Hildeberti, prima Cenomanensis episcopi, deinde Turonensis archiepiscopi, opera tam edita quam inedita. But there are errors in some editions. They exclude some actual texts while attributing several writings by others to Hildebert. Hildebert’s standing in the development of medieval thought has been impacted by the revelation of this information. Hildebert coined the phrase “transubstantiation” for the first time in the eleventh century. He believes that this is the greatest way to define and explain the change that occurs during the Eucharist when the bread and wine become Christ’s flesh and blood. However, it wasn’t until the 12th century that this expression became popular.

December 18, 1917: On this date, Congress proposed the Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) to the United States Constitution. It was established to prohibit the sales, production, and distribution of any alcoholic products in the United States of America.

December 18, 1958: On this day, Andrew Dornenburg was born in Concord, California. Dornenburg is a food and wine writer, having co-written numerous award-winning books with his spouse Karen A. Page. Some titles include What to Drink With What You Eat, The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine, and The Flavor Bible, which won a James Beard Award in 2009.

December 18, 1978: On this day, the Chinese reform and opening up were initiated. A modernized vision of the Chinese wine industry was inspired by the government’s official “reform and opening up” strategy. In contrast, only 30,000 hectares of vineyard land were actively being farmed in 1980, and the primary product was “half-juice wine,” a mixture of grape juice, fruit juice, sugar, and water.

December 18, 2001: On this day, the Agreement on Mutual Acceptance of Oenological Practices (MAA) was signed. The MAA acknowledges that each member of the World Wine Trade Group (WWTG) has put in place appropriate controls over winemaking procedures and, as a result, consents to accept the procedures used by the other Parties. By letting Stakeholders enter wine manufactured in another Group that is generated in conformance with that other Group’s legislation, regulatory requirements, and prerequisites related to oenological procedures and the mechanism to regulate them, it aims to simplify the wine trade by preventing hurdles from being positioned in the way of that trade. The MAA does not consist of a single set of requirements for making wine. Instead, it calls for the reciprocal recognition of oenological techniques that have been authorized by each Party. Additionally, this raises the acceptance of the wine produced in the WWTG nations abroad. It would be easier to trade wine globally and within the area, if more nations adopted the MAA’s guiding principles. Both the wine industry in these nations and the consumers may benefit largely from this. Winemakers, exporters, and importers profit from the MAA because it guarantees their access to markets free from the expenses and annoyances associated with trade barriers based on variations in wine-making processes.

December 18, 2001: País Vasco (a.k.a. Basque) wine region was established in Spain. Bordering France and the Atlantic, it is famous for its white wines, quality seafood, and unique culture and linguistics.

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