November 13, 1935: On this day, Jon Winroth Broneer was born in Athens, Greece. He worked as a wine expert, consultant, writer, translator, and columnist on a global scale. In addition to co-founding and leading courses at the Académie du Vin with Steven Spurrier, Winroth went by his middle name in authoring credentials. He died in 2006, having been a key figure in the French wine industry and a fixture in international wine literature. For more on Steven Spurrier, click here.

November 13, 2002: WIETA (Wine and Agricultural Industry Ethical Trade Association) was officially set up on this day. The Ethical Trade Initiative pilot project in the wine business was the impetus for forming the group. The non-profit multi-stakeholder association of wine cellars, producers, wineries, trade, and civil-society unions started an ethical code of conduct that members must follow to promote respect, dignity, and fair treatment of each other.

November 13, 2012: On this day, 2004 Penfolds Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon was sold for $168,000 retail price, making it the most expensive wine sold straight from the producer in the world. The wine’s price is claimed to be due to low yield since Penfolds states the vines of Kalimna Block 42 are “the oldest continuously-producing cabernet sauvignon vines in the world” (Penfolds website).

November 13, 2014: On this day, the Napa Valley Wine Academy announced the introduction of the American Wine Expert certification. American Wine Expert comes with an All-American wine kit in addition to 9 hours of instruction broken up into 24 films.

November 14, 2017: On this day, it was reported that archaeologists discovered the oldest known traces of winemaking. Residues of grapes were present on the insides of a jar in a village unearthed near Tbilisi, Georga.

November 13, 2018: On this day, over 13 Chinese wine products were given the green light to be protected under China’s geographical designation product law. The wine sector in China has reached a period of high-quality growth, as shown by the successful implementation of a protection system for goods bearing geographical indications.

November 13, 2018: On this day, Wine for Dummies was published. The book series offers a wide variety of books with diverse topics to learn from 0 in a simple way and wine is no exception. This book written by an educator and a master of wine presents tips to acquire knowledge, presenting nuances and opinions without the complex language that sometimes characterizes winemakers.

For more dates in wine history, click here.