February 11, 1830: On this day, the first German Eiswein (ice wine) was produced. Dromersheim, a neighborhood of Bingen on the Rhine, is the birthplace of German Eiswein (ice wine). According to legend, grapes produced in 1829 were used to create the first ice wine. Because the grapes were of inferior quality, the winemakers opted not to harvest them but instead decided to collect them in the winter to feed the cattle. They subsequently discovered that the frozen grapes had transformed into a juice with a high must weight that was exceedingly sweet and delicious. After pressing the grapes, ice wine was produced.
February 11, 1844: Peter Bond Burgoyne was born on this date. He is an English wine trader and was recognized as the “Father of the Australian Wine Industry” who found both P.B. Burgoyne and the Australian Wine Importers company. Burgoyne was born at Doddbrook, Kingsbridge, South Devon, the son of Mary Ann Burgoyne, née Bond, and John Trist Burgoyne (c. 1812–1856). His aunt and uncle raised him when both of his parents died before he was an adult. He began working for a company in Portsmouth when he was 13 years old, but he had the desire to travel. In 1858, he encountered Robert Allsopp of Newfoundland, who granted him a five-year apprenticeship, with his brother, who was then time 21 years old. He declined, choosing to work in his office instead.
February 11, 2020: On this day, the organizational membership count of the Wine and Agricultural Industry Ethical Trade Association (WIETA), a South African non-profit, reached 1,500. Members are subject to periodic audits, some of which are published and some of which are not, to guarantee compliance with the law and other rules on labor, as well as occupational health and safety.
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