Last week, we talked about OTBN (Open That Bottle Night), the WINEderful night each year dedicated to opening those special bottles of wine that you never got around to opening. This week, we’re going to talk about other notable wine dates, also known as National Wine Days.
There’s a whole calendar of Wine Days, including National Wine Day on May 25 and National Drink Wine Day on Feb. 18. As if we needed more excuses to drink wine.
How did these national wine-focused days come to be? I wanted to know more. It makes sense to have days commemorating seasons, like harvest festivals. There are things like Apple Days — mostly occurring in October, to celebrate apple diversity and apples’ health effects.
Unlike Apple Day, which Common Ground is said to have started, there’s little to no attribution for National Wine Day. I could find no reference to whose brilliant idea it was to set May 25th as this special day. It doesn’t even particularly fall in the wine season, which most people think of as September (harvest time). Maybe spring was a time to pop the cork after a long winter of laying the bottle down.
According to Punchbowl, part of National Wine Day’s existence could be to simply acknowledge wine’s long history and pertinence to worldwide history. There is evidence of wine remnants in the world’s most ancient tombs, from Rome to Egypt. And wine is ubiquitous in literature and art, both ancient and modern.
National Drink Wine Day, on the other hand, seems to be dedicated more to educating people about wine’s beneficial health effects. It is well known that red wine has healthy heart benefits. White wine has similar health benefits. According to healthcentral.com, white wine contains antioxidant properties that some claim to be even higher than those found in red wines!
That makes us all happy that the self-proclaimed “Queen of Holidays” Jace Shoemaker-Galloway, made August 4 National White Wine Day. This date makes sense to me: break open a crisp white wine to celebrate hot August nights.
If you’re a devoted red wine enthusiast, don’t feel left out. There is, of course, a dedicated National Red Wine Day (October 15, which according to foodimentary.com, it shares with National Mushroom Day in case you were curious). Examiner.com unabashedly claims that you will live longer and be happier because of it (red wine; but probably mushrooms, too).
I would love to know what you think of the wine calendar. Do you like it? Do you follow it? Please share your experiences here. Thanks.
As an independent wine consultant with WineShop At Home, I absolutely enjoy bringing a taste of the Napa wine country home to you one sip at a time. Whether you simply love to drink wine, would like to host a tasting, seek a special gift, or are in search of a new wine jobs opportunity as a wine consultant, feel free to contact me for a truly unique wine tasting experience!
Cheers,
Betty Kaufman, WineShop At Home
