November 7, 1971: On this day, Jamie Drummond was born. He is a Canadian sommelier, wine advisor, and writer. His day job is as Senior Editor and Director of Programs for the Toronto-based non-profit Good Food Revolution.

November 7, 1994: On this day, Carménère was found. A Frenchman named Jean-Marie Boursiquot, who was trained in ampelography, which is the study of grape leaves to figure out what kind of vine it is, worked with a winemaker named Claude Valat to figure out that the grape that was thought to be a strange mutation of Merlot was actually the long-lost Bordeaux grape called Carménère.

November 7, 2011: On this day, Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva was established as DOCG. The wines produced in the Italian wine area of Castel del Monte, known for their purple-skinned Nero di Troia grapes, have earned the region the DOCG certification, which is the highest category in the standards governing Italian wine.

November 7 every year: International Merlot Day; on this day, the world celebrates Merlot as one of France’s most popular and widely planted grapes.

For more dates in wine history, click here.