December 28

December 28, 1878: Henderson Luelling died. An American Quaker, abolitionist, and pioneering nurseryman, he hauled grafted fruit trees and vines west along the Oregon Trail in 1847 and helped found the varietal fruit-growing tradition of Oregon, a state now noted for its wine industry. Born April 23, 1809, he is often called a father of the Pacific Coast fruit industry.December 28, 1905: John Charles Macleod Fornachon, a wine microbiologist, was born in Wayville, Adelaide. He enrolled at Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1922 to study oenology and viticulture. The Wine Overseas Marketing Board asked the university to study wine illnesses and how wine goes bad in 1934. (later Australian Wine Board). In November, Professor (Sir) John Cleland put Fornachon to work as an investigator under his supervision. The study was transferred to the Waite Agricultural Research Institute in Urrbrae the next year, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research was in charge of it. He was AWRI’s first wine scientist.

December 28, 1982: California Shenandoah Valley AVA was established. The area largely produces Zinfandel, Primitivo, and Barbera grapes. The California Shenandoah Valley AVA covers slightly over 10,000 acres and had 1,200 acres planted in vineyards when it was established. The AVA encompasses a tiny land in El Dorado County as well, just outside of Amador County.

December 28, 2005: TongHua Amur-Wine gained its geographical indications (GI) protection products in 2005.

For more dates in wine history, click here.

 

Hero image: Bruno Rijsman / CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.