The Month of July

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 in their influence spreading over Europe. Wine has developed as the beverage of choice for both the elite and the ordinary people. As a result of the poisoning of Europe’s water supply, there was an upsurge in the use of alcoholic drinks, most notably wine.

July 1937: Burgundy’s Bourgogne Aligoté AOC was established. In the Burgundy area, white wines made from the Aligoté grape variety are known as Bourgogne Aligoté. The Aligoté grape, which has been well-known and regularly used in Burgundy since the 17th century, has gradually been superseded by the Chardonnay grape, which is more generally recognized internationally and the basis of Bourgogne Blanc wines. There are aligoté plants in only 6% of Burgundy’s vineyards. Even yet, the appellation still has grapes spread out over more than 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) and about 300 parishes. Several Crémant de Bourgogne sparkling wines also contain the grape as an ingredient.

July 1986: In this month, it became illegal in the United States to use geographical designations in a wine’s label unless the grapes used to make the wine originated in that location. After this date, winemakers may continue to use labels that had previously been authorized.

July 1987: The International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) was first held. Through a jam-packed schedule of seminars, walkaround tastings, winery tours, and outstanding meals served by renowned Northwest chefs, the IPNC provides Pinot Noir consumers and industry members with the opportunity to sample an unrivaled range of Pinot noir from about the world.Less than four months were remaining to 2020’s International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon and the venue was set to welcome guests. However, due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the IPNC Board of Directors had to cancel IPNC for the first time in the festival’s illustrious 34-year history. The three-day, well-regarded, and enduring Pinot Noir immersion festival was then moved to July 2021.

July 1998: In this month, the International Code of Oenological Practices, which is the oenological standard set by the OIV, was issued by China.

July 2002: Over 2,000 vacuum concentrators were used in Bordeaux alone in this month. These machines mechanically remove water from unfermented grape juice. This industrial process makes the resulting wine seem more concentrated than otherwise.

July 2004: In this month, the first Pinot Family Reunion was held.

July 2011: In this month, a bottle of 1811 Chateau d’Yquem became the most expensive white wine to be sold at $117 000. The purchaser, late French sommelier Christian Vanneque, said that he intended to place the 1811 Chateau d’Yquem behind bulletproof glass at the restaurant known as Sip Sunset Grill, which is situated in Bali, Indonesia.

July 2013: In this month, a palace wine cellar was unearthed with forty jars, each of which contained fifty liters of rich, sweet wine. The basement was found in the destroyed palace of Tel Kabri, which is located in northern Israel. Tel Kabri was a large Canaanite metropolis. The location was inhabited about 1,700 B.C. and near several of Israel’s contemporary vineyards.

July 2015: On this month, In Napa County Superior Court, former Napa Valley winemaker and vineyard manager Jeffry James Hill pled not guilty to one count of grand larceny for diverting many tons of Napa grapes he had harvested for Del Dotto Vineyards to his winery in October 2013. Hill was accused of stealing grapes and misleading clients about the source and type of grapes used in the wines he sold.

July 2016: In this month, San Diego-based Equality Wines was launched. Equality Wines is the world’s first wine collection dedicated completely to the battle for universal human rights. Matt Grove and Jim Obergefell, co-founders of this label, are committed to both great wine and human rights.

For more dates in wine history, click here.