Where there is great value, there is great temptation — and the world of fine wine has seen fraud, forgery, extortion and theft on a grand scale. Via Wikimedia Commons.By the This Day in […]
August 1248: During this time, Château de Goulaine began its wine journey as the de Goulaine family produced wines for their personal consumption. Eventually they turned commercial and became France's oldest continuously operational winery, […]
July 1478 to May 1576: In this period, a group of Catholic monks is credited with having started the production of wine making. These monks eventually cut their links with the church, which resulted […]
June 276: In this month, Marcus Aurelius Probus became Roman Emperor. Marcus Aurelius Probus used his army to cultivate new vineyards in the Pannonian region and overturned Emperor Domitian's earlier restriction on winemaking north […]
May 1999-2000: Robert Mondavi started the Great Chefs of France program, bringing world-famous French chefs to his vineyard for cooking classes and demonstrations. Robert Mondavi and his old friend Julia Child played a crucial […]
October 1347: In this month, the Black Death arrived in Europe. When 12 Black Sea ships berthed at the Messina port in Sicily, the disease sailed into Europe. The vast majority of the crew […]
November 1345: Pinot Noir was first mentioned in written records. It was recorded as being grown in Burgundy. In 1470, monks from France introduced the grape to the Rheingau area in Germany, where it […]
December 12, 1984: The Madera AVA is established in California's San Joaquin Valley, spanning Madera and Fresno counties. December 12, 2013: DuAn Wild Amur-Wine gained its geographical indications (GI) protection products in 2013. For […]
December 1638: In this month, Dom Pierre Pérignon, O.S.B. was born. He was a Benedictine monk from France who made significant improvements to the production and quality of Champagne wine during a time when […]
March 1224: The first-ever wine tasting competition was held. French King Philip Augustus initially organized the competition; because the king was the only wine critic who counted. The competition consisted of around seventy different […]
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