The founding fathers, to include George Washington, Tomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, were known to have enjoyed Madeira wine, as it was a popular choice of alcohol among the upper class, Colonial Americans in the 18th Century. It was a sophisticated and luxurious drink for the elites of the time. Historical records and letters by these individuals would mention their appreciation for Madeira. Most ironically Madeira was the celebratory drink at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Mother’s Day is upon us this weekend. Think about it: Without these women, we, as beings, would not exist in the first place. Reflecting on this, we are the ones who have heard her heartbeat from the inside. That thought is just so profound. Life exists because of mother. How do you grasp that?

There are grapes in the world that are planted in a wide range of environments. This is an absolute understatement. Of this vastness is a small number of varieties that have easily traveled from their homelands and have been planted around the world. Why? Because they are proven grapes that can produce high-quality wines and are not too fussy about where they are planted.

The French have imposed upon their wine country a system of calling out quality wine regions. It is quite elaborate, defining levels of wonderfulness that impose progressively stricter rules at the higher levels of elegance. The French have even taken these practices and imposed them upon other wine growing countries that they have occupied or have had as colonies. But the real genius of this began on the 10th of September in 1756, in Portugal. Shocked?