Erste Lage

Designation which indicates a “First Class” vineyard, similar to the designation “Premier Cru” in Burgundy. The designation used by the 200 plus members of the VDP. The term Erste Lage generally appears on the neck label. See VDP.

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.

“Wine is so special because it is mankind’s one source of comfort and courage, his only medicine and antiseptic, his one resource to renew his tired spirits and lift him above his weary saddened self “

—Hugh Johnson
British wine authority
Author, The Story of Wine

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