November 1, 1339: On this day, Duke Rudolf IV of Austria was born. Rudolf IV sometimes referred to as Rudolf the Founder was a member of the House of Habsburg and held the titles of duke of Austria (self-proclaimed archduke), Styria, and Carinthia beginning in 1358. He also held the titles of count of Tyrol beginning in 1363 and the first duke of Carniola beginning in 1364 until his death. He gave the order to create the “Privilegium Maius,” a fictitious document to give the Austrian emperors more power after the Habsburgs received nothing from the Golden Bull proclamation in 1356. In 1359, Rudolf IV enacted a 10% wine tax known as “Ungeld” (a fairly derogatory term), and many landlords had their property rights taken away. Wine transportation and importation were subject to a sizable number of state and provincial levies.

November 1, 1776: On this day the mission of San Juan Capistrano (Saint John of Capistrano) was founded in what is now Orange County, California, by the leader of the Spanish Franciscan mission to California, Father Junipero Serra. It is here that the first grape vines for wine production are planted in 1779 and also where the first native California wine is produced in the early 1780s from “Mission Grapes.”

November 1, 1809: On this day, the Hottentot Proclamation was issued. The Earl of Caledon, who served as governor of the Cape Colony, issued the Hottentot Proclamation, also known as the Hottentot Code, the Caledon Proclamation, or the Caledon Code, to limit the movement of Khoikhoi (also known as “Hottentots”; hence the name) in the colony. The decree was the first in a string of colonial legislation intended to restrict the rights of Black Africans residing in the Cape Colony. It was created to help Afrikaner landowners manage the mobility of their enslaved workforce, which primarily comprised Khoikhoi laborers. The “Caledon” Proclamation established the philosophical and moral guidelines for master-servant relationships, initiating changes in the wine sector.

November 1, 1894: On this day in 1894 Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov succeeded Tsar Nicholas II of the Russian Empire. A few days later, he authorized Prince Kynaz Lev Golitsyn to establish the Massandra winery in Crimea under the imperial aegis. It would become one of the most celebrated wineries in Eastern Europe. Heads of state have visited it across the decades. Perhaps most notably, it provided wine to the Yalta Conference headed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the dictator of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin. This was held close to Massandra winery in February 1945 to decide on an Allied strategy towards the end of the Second World War so that the Allied leaders could determine the shape of the post-war world order. Thus, the respective spheres of influence of the Soviets and the Western Allies in Europe post-1945 might well have been decided over a glass of Massandra wine. For more, see this article from World of Wine, and this article from History.com.

November 1, 2003: On this day, the blog site Vinfolio was founded. It is a wine blog with headquarters in San Francisco, California, US. The major blog topics cover wine investing, wine collecting, wine pairing, and wineries. It helps collectors of fine and rare wines store their wine and take care of their cellars.

November 1 every year: International Xinomavro day. On this day, The Association of Winemakers of North Greece, also known as the wines of North Greece, acknowledges the charismatic “Xinomavro” since it is now in first place among the Greek Varieties in terms of its ranking. As a result, they concluded that 1st November should be designated as International Xinomavro Day to raise awareness about the distinguished variety all over the globe.

For more dates in wine history, click here.