March 26, 1911: On this day, Thomas Lanier Williams popularly referred to as Tennessee Williams was born. Primarily famed for his dramatic and often tragic plays, he also wrote the poem, “The Wine Drinkers.”

March 26, 1934: Dick Ponzi, the Oregon wine industry pioneer, was born on this day. He leveraged his engineering knowledge to fabricate machines and equipment that helped him develop unique wine making techniques currently in use in wineries worldwide. Dick Ponzi was key in refining the use of gravity for moving wine. He was also among the group that authored the bill that called for and led to the legalization of tasting rooms and brewpubs in Oregon. He founded Ponzi Vineyards with his wife Nancy, and it is family-run to this day.

March 26, 1940: On this day, Nancy Patricia Pelosi was born. She has served as Speaker of the House twice and is a seasoned politician in the US House of Representatives. Her estate in Northern California is also a vineyard.

March 26, 2018: The book Wine: The Social and Cultural History of Drinks That Have Changed Our Lives was published. In it, history professor and wine writer Rod Phillips traces the impact of wine on culture and society from ancient civilizations to the modern era.

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