June 4

June 4, 1753: The Accademia dei Georgofili was founded in Florence—one of the world’s oldest learned societies devoted to agriculture. It became an influential centre for the study of viticulture and Tuscan farming.

June 4, 1920: The Treaty of Trianon was drawn. The Trianon Treaty of 1920 caused Hungary to lose two-thirds of its previous territory. As a result, some wine-growing regions that were formerly located in Hungary can now be found in neighboring nations. Ruszt and Burgenland became territory for Austria, Slovakia gained Pozsony and a small portion of the Tokaj region, Ménes was given to Romania, and Szerémség is divided between Croatia and the Serbian province of Vojvodina.

June 4, 1982: Hudson River Region AVA was established. Located on the Hudson River in New York, this region is home to not only the oldest continuously run vineyard (belonging to Benmarl Winery), but also the oldest continuously operated winery (Brotherhood Winery), in North America.

June 4, 1982: Lime Kiln Valley AVA was established. This viticultural area sits within the Cienega Valley AVA in California, and is known for its extremely old Mourvedre plantings.

June 4, 2000: The 1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon was auctioned at $500,000. The fact that the Napa winery’s first vintage was in 1992 is what drove the price up. Instead of taking place at an auction house in Europe or New York, this world-record Screaming Eagle Winery sale, which brought in $500,000 at the 2000 Auction Napa Valley, really happened in the winery’s garden. Notably, the wine was only eight years old, not the middle of the 20th century like many wines offered for auction. Even with their relatively recent vintages, Screaming Eagle Winery has a cult following due to the lengthy waitlist to join the club and the small production capacity (about 500 cases annually).

June 4, 2021: David Adelsheim hosted founders of Oregon’s first ten wineries at Quarter Mile Lane Vineyard in Newberg. This iconic event was to celebrate friendship and the families’ successes and mark the 50th anniversary of the purchase of Adelsheims’ first vineyard.

For more dates in wine history, click here.

 

 

Header image: Jason Parrish from Memphis, USA — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).