February 8, 1676: Tsar Alexis I of Russia, whose reign saw growing wine and goods trade between Muscovy and Western Europe, died in Moscow.
February 8, 1939: On this day, Aubert de Villaine was born in Rennes, France. Villaine is a winemaker and was co-director of the world famous Burgundy estate Domaine de la Romanee-Conti for roughly 47 years (1974–2021), stepping down to an advisory role in 2022. He owns a number of other estates and wineries in Burgundy. Additionally, de Villaine was one of the judges at the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting. For more on the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting, see our other posts.
Header image: Tomas er — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
