1863

Year that President Abraham Lincoln first began pardoning a turkey for Thanksgiving. Even though Lincoln’s son, Tad, pleaded for the turkey’s life to be spared, the first saved bird was actually brought to the White House for Christmas dinner. The formality of pardoning a turkey did not become official White House tradition until 1989 during George H.W. Bush’s administration.

Which wines in the world were the first to collectively be stoppered with screw caps?

A. Australian rieslings from the Clare Valley

B. New Zealand sauvignon blancs from Marlborough

C. Chilean chardonnays from Santiago

D. Italian pinot grigios from the Veneto

As of the 2000 vintage, virtually every riesling in Australia’s Clare Valley was stoppered with a screw cap (technically known as a Stelvin Cap) instead of a cork. While countless upscale wines around the world are now stoppered with screw caps, these were the first to shrug off tradition and forsake cork.

Prohibited No More

Next Monday, December 5, marks the 83rd anniversary of the end of Prohibition, the nearly 14-year period that shaped America’s current drinking patterns. Prohibition quashed the budding wine culture, and the U.S. became, almost overnight,… Continue reading

1863

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