September 27, 1821: The Mexican War of Independence ended. One change among the many societal shifts involved was the lifting of a prohibition on Mexican wine that had been law for over a century. King Charles II restricted Mexican wine production in 1699 to protect the Spanish industry, which, prior to that point, was suffering from competition with Mexico. The beginning of the country’s independence was accompanied by a revitalization of its wine industry. Mexico started enacting laws to entice settlers in the northern frontiers and put additional legislation into place that led to the expansion of viticulture in California. Settlers from Mexico, the United States, and Europe flocked to California, shifting the wine industry. As a result, vineyards and wine production increased, benefiting Mexico up through the United States gaining California in 1948, and then its admission into statehood in 1850.

Sep. 27^th, 1851: On this day, The Soul of Wine by Charles Baudelaire was published. Charles Baudelaire was a French poet, writer, and art critic best known for his 1857 anthology Les Fleurs du Mal, which was influential in both the Symbolist and Modernist movements.

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