The festivities of February just go on and on — we have arrived at another of those great February Holidays. Today is National Drink Wine Day. I suppose as a public service, I should remind everyone to please drink responsibly. There. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about wine. No one seems to know who created this day, but whoever it was deserves an award of some kind and a place in history.
Not that you necessarily need a special occasion to drink wine, but when one presents itself, its always good to take advantage of it. Wine is enjoyed on every continent — with the exception of Antarctica. Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s enjoyed there, too. Surely some of those scientists that live and work there, have a wine cellar — what better to do on a long winter night?I’ve read that wine’s popularity is at an all-time high.
The Roman Empire adopted Catholicism in 380 A.D. During this period, wine became an important part of the Catholic sacrament, so it became necessary to spread the cultivation of grapevines and the production of wine. As Catholicism spread across Europe, wine went along for the ride.
The French imported grapevines into the area that is now the State of Virginia in the early American colonies, but they weren’t popular for making wine because of the region’s Puritanical roots. Wine making did eventually spread along the Eastern Seaboard of what would become the United States.
Thomas Jefferson probably gets credit for popularizing wine making in America. Before he became a U.S. President, Tom was the first Minister to France and he became enchanted with French wines and decided to bring French grape cuttings to Virginia. His aim was to create an American wine that would equal the quality of French wines. I’m not sure he ever achieved that goal, but his efforts may have led to the establishment of the American wine industry.
But all that aside, today is a great day to celebrate — go on a winery tour, a liquor store, grocery store, or just down to the wine cellar. Pour a glass of wine and let’s toast to National Drink Wine Day.
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