Azienda Vitivinicola

Grape-growing and winemaking company. Like AZIENDA AGRICOLA and AZIENDA VINICOLA, the term often appears on wine labels.

What wine was served during the signing of the Declaration of Independence?

A. Champagne

B. Madeira

C. Port

D. Bordeaux

Madeira. Ultimately, no wine would become more a part of the United States’ beginning. Not only was Madeira drunk by the founding fathers during the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the wine was also what Francis Scott Key sipped as he composed “The Star-Spangled Banner.” George Washington (who reportedly drank a pint every night with dinner), Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin all adored it. By the end of the eighteenth century, nearly a fourth of all the Madeira produced was being exported to the American colonies.

Read Karen’s People to Know interview with Bartholomew Broadbent, who helped revive Madeira-drinking in America here. And her review of several Madeira bottlings is here.

The Critter That Started it All

January—time for austere budgets. Have you ever noticed how many inexpensive and moderately priced wines have animals on the label? Wine’s “critter era” is thought to have been born in 2001 when an Australian brand… Continue reading

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