December 2, 1547: On this day, Hernán Cortés died. Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca, was in charge of an expedition that, in the early 16th century, brought much of what is now mainland Mexico under the control of the King of Castile and led to the collapse of the Aztec Empire. Cortés belonged to the group of Spanish conquistadors and explorers that launched the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Cortés decided to go for adventure and money in the New World after growing up in a lower-class family in Medellin, Spain. He left for Hispaniola and then went to Cuba, where he received an encomienda (the right to the labor of certain subjects). In the second Spanish town to be built on the island, he temporarily served as alcalde (magistrate). He was chosen to serve as the expedition’s third captain in 1519, and he also assisted in raising some of the money for it. Cortés defied the command to bring back the expedition because he disliked Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, the governor of Cuba. Legend has it that while celebrating the conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521, Hernán Cortés and his men quickly consumed all of the wine they had brought with them from Spain. As a result, Cortés’ first official act as governor was to direct the planting of grapevines all over New Spain.

December 2, 1997: In this year, Adelaide Hills Wine Show started. The National Wine Centre of Australia in Adelaide, South Australia, puts on the Adelaide Hills Wine Show every year. The competition is available to any winemakers who source at least 85 percent of their grapes from vineyards in the Adelaide Hills.

December 2, 1999: On this day, the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act was written to monitor and regulate the geographical indication tags placed on all products sold in India. These tags were a crucial factor in guiding the nation toward developing the wine industry and recognizing the various areas in India.

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