March 3, 1932: On this day, Lalou Bize-Leroy was born in Paris, France. Bize-Leroy owns the Burgundy estates Domaine Leroy and Domaine d’Auvenay, the negociant firm Maison Leroy was the long-time co-manager for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Her name is synonymous in the industry with expensive, high quality, high demand wines.

March 3, 1966: On this day, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano wine received recognition with the Controlled Designation of Origin (DOC), then on July 9, 1993, from the DOCG. The Vernaccia grape is used to make Vernaccia, a white Italian wine, which is produced in and around the Tuscan hill town of San Gimignano. The San Gimignano record archives from 1276 contain the earliest known mention of the wine. Early in the 20th century, as Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes were planted, the wine became less popular due to the challenges of growing the Vernaccia vine. Vernaccia di San Gimignano enjoyed a comeback by the 1960s as its distinct, crisp characteristics made it a well-liked substitute for the blander wines made from Trebbiano and Malvasia mixes.

March 3, 1980: On this day, the wine status Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) was created in Italy. In 1980, in response to concerns that there were an excessive number of DOCs and that the quality of these DOCs varied, the DOCG designation was established. DOCG wines were considered to be among the very finest that Italy’s wine industry had to offer. The first wines to get the DOCG designations were Barolo and Barbaresco, both of which are red wines produced in Piedmont from the Nebbiolo grape. Other accredited wines were Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which are red wines produced in Tuscany from the Sangiovese grape.

March 3, 2022: This day is National Mulled Wine Day in the United States, intended to celebrate mulled spirits: alcohol infused with spices and heated up. Mulled wine is traditionally consumed during the winter months.

March 3, 2022: On this day, the documentary Blind Ambition was released. The film follows four Zimbabwean refugees as they rise to become the premier sommeliers of the African continent and compete in the World Blind Tasting Championships.

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