On August 28th, National Red Wine Day ushers in the flavors of fall. As the grapes ripen and signal a time for warmer sips, wine drinkers know reds mean tailgating and spicy foods.
Throughout the year, wine days afford us the opportunity to taste and learn about the differences between wines. Earlier this month National Prosecco Day gave us the last bubbly rays of summer. Now we savor the best of the season with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir, Port, and Syrah.
Red wine varietals produce deep ruby reds as well as subtle ambers and browns. Their beautiful colors hint at the coming change in the season. With that, we can look for delicious menu changes, too. Besides, what better way to enjoy a great bottle of wine than by pairing it with excellent company and food. Restaurants around the country will be happy to oblige throughout the celebration. Be sure to check out the latest menus from appetizers to desserts.
Don’t fear the red, either. Even if you prefer a sweeter wine, there’s a red for you. Also, blends offer a way to enjoy the best of both wine worlds. And don’t fret. Red, red wine pairs well with salad, steak, dessert and so much more.
If you’re hesitant, attend a wine tasting. There you will learn more each time and find the wine that fits not only your palate but your cooking style, too.
Pour a glass or two of delicious red wine. Not sure what kind to try? Ask sommelier and enjoy a wine tasting with friends. Use #NationalRedWineDay to share your favorites.
NATIONAL RED WINE DAY HISTORY
In 2014, Jace Shoemaker-Galloway created National Red Wine Day.
National Massachusetts Day on August 17th recognizes the first New England colony and the sixth state to join the Union. Named after the indigenous people who populated the area when explorers (and later the pilgrims) first arrived, Massachusetts became an incubator for independence, education, and industry.
Cradle of Liberty
It should come as no surprise that the state earned the name of Cradle of Liberty. After all, Massachusetts hosted the founding of the Sons of Liberty and the Boston Tea Party. The list of notable names from history grows long from Massachusetts. Of course, their stories and the historic events leading up to the founding of a country make for fascinating tales.
Patriots come to mind first, but don’t stop there! Poets, inventors, authors, politicians, architects, activists, athletes and those who have managed the amazing. It’s much too long for these pages. So, we encourage you to explore them further during National Massachusetts Day!
With her numerous bays and abundant shorelines, Massachusetts offers many seaside escapes. Discover mountain exploration inland, and for those who seek urban adventure, encounter adventures there, too. Everywhere you go, there’s history, beauty, and perhaps a bit of an adjustment to the New England language. Either way, dive into the food, the past and the future of Massachusetts.
During National Massachusetts Day, explore all the adventures, history and more the state has to offer. Share your favorites by using #NationalMassachusettsDay on social media.
We’ll start with the obvious when the topic of Massachusetts food comes to the table: Boston Cream Pie. What other states would this layered, hot milk cake hail from? Well, to be specific, it was created in 1856 in the kitchen of the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston and is still made there today.
Next, we turn to the salty sweet combination of Fluffernutter. A blended combination of marshmallow fluff and peanut butter, Fluffernutter became a household name in New England in the 1960s.
On July 3, 1916, Lawrence and Bessie Woodman fried the first clam at their roadside concession stand in Essex, Massachusetts. The rest, as they say, is history. Massachusetts has been in love ever since. Speaking of clams, don’t forget the chowder.
For those who like a less fishy flavor of the sea, cod is the way to go. Massachusetts celebrates the Sacred Cod. A notable cape is named after it. Also, it’s their state fish.
Finally, and tastefully, Massachusetts is one of five states known to grow cranberries. It’s their state berry and juice, too! Of course, each state has a wide list of favorite combinations of flavors. Share with us your Massachusetts favorites!
Massachusetts State Symbolism
State Capital – Boston State Nickname – The Bay State State Motto – Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem State Bird – Black – Capped Chickodee State Flower – Mayflower State Animal – State Folk Dance – Square Dance State Fish – Cod State Dessert – Boston Cream Pie State Fossil – Dinosaur Tracks State Mineral – Babingtonite State Tree – American Elm State Song – All Hail to Massachusetts State Gemstone – Rhodonite State Folk Hero – Johnny Appleseed State Heroine – Deborah Samson Shurtleff State Insect – Ladybug
Notable People
Squanto- Native American Guide – (c.1585 – November 1622)
National Prosecco Day on August 13th represents a time to raise a toast to the remaining days of the season. As we bask in the warmth of the resounding rays of summer, the day encourages people across the US to embrace life’s everyday celebrations.
A sparkling wine, Prosecco is made from a variety of grapes. One of the oldest is the Glera. However, Prosecco can also be made from Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir. Primarily grown and bottled in the Veneto region of Italy, Prosecco’s draw is its elegant mousse. In wine-speak, the mousse is the lovely, persistent bubbles. These bubbles give Prosecco the sparkle that makes it so appealing for celebrations.
Along with that touch of sweetness (usually dry) and light-bodied, refreshing aromas, Prosecco exudes an easygoing sense of fun. Flavors of white spring flowers, citrus fruits, and green apples paired with a wallet-friendly price tag place Prosecco in the right place for any celebration.
As the most sold sparkler in the U.S. – having surpassed the 4-million case mark (according to Impact Databank), it only fits that this long revered aperitivo of choice for Italians should earn its own ‘National Day’ of recognition. Some say no other beverage defines the Italian philosophy of la dolce vita, or the good life, quite like Prosecco.
I love an apple or pear. Peaches and raspberry are good too. It goes exceedingly well with both salmon filets or Creamy Shrimp Scampi. This light bubbly wine also goes very well with desserts like Super Easy Peach Cobbler.
Prosecco’s bubbles come in many forms. Spumante is the bubbliest of the proseccos followed by frizzante. Finally, the calmest is the tranquillo. As summer’s fun lulls into autumn’s social afterglow, National Prosecco Day reminds us of the fruits of our labors with its notes of apple and pear.
Riondo Prosecco founded National Prosecco Day to celebrate the sparkling summer months. Riondo Prosecco earned #1 Prosecco in Italy in 2010 by Il Mio Vino magazine and Gold Medal Minner Vinitaly in 2011. Terlato Wines acquired the Riondo Prosecco brand on January 1, 2016.
Enjoy Prosecco with friends over crab cakes and scallops on the beach or with goat cheese, prosciutto, and fresh garden tomatoes at your summer table. This sparkling wine pairs well from aperitif to dessert and even brunch cocktails the next day.
It’s as simple as picking up a couple of bottles of Prosecco, inviting some friends over and savoring summer’s end. Share the sentiment on social media with #NationalProseccoDay.
The second Wednesday of August is the day where art meets handwriting. Nibs ready, it’s World Calligraphy Day!
Poets believe there is beauty within the flow of words. Similarly, calligrapher’s find beauty assembling those words on paper in an artistic and beautiful fashion. Furthermore, calligraphers design words in a harmonious, almost romantic elegance, respectively.
Calligraphy is an ancient art form that is one of the oldest forms of communication. Interestingly, calligraphy first appears as early as 200 BC in China. Additionally, this historic art form is apparent in almost every region of the world as the main source of manuscript writing and communication. In early findings, religious documents, such as the original Bible, are written in Biblical Hebrew calligraphy. With western influence, calligraphy would take on a more creative point of view.
Maneuvering through the ages, calligraphy continues to maintain a unique flow of magic from pen to paper. In today’s modern world, calligraphers believe calligraphy is an interpretation of the individual. In many aspects, each symbol creates meaning to relationships between their ancestry and language. Furthermore, while keeping the integrity of each symbol, calligraphers allow for a harmonious flow of the entire text, as well. Above all, a calligrapher always finds their creative rhythm and shares the individual inspiration through the flow of patterns on paper.
WORLD CALLIGRAPHY DAY HISTORY
In 2017, Manuscript Pen Company founded World Calligraphy Day to bring together all calligraphy enthusiasts to celebrate the art of calligraphy. The day offers an opportunity to discuss, practice, learn and celebrate the creative and beautiful artform.
CELEBRATE #WorldCalligraphyDay
Signing up for a beginners course will open your soul to a new world of expression.
Study the different forms of calligraphy.
If you already are a calligrapher, teach someone else your skillful craft.
Share your calligraphy writing on social media by tagging #WorldCalligraphyDay.
Woven into the fabric of this state’s historic landscape, we find revolutionaries, innovators, and philosophers. On August 10th, National Connecticut Day recognizes the contributions of the fifth state to join the United States of America.
Like other colonies of the region, the Dutch first explored and founded trading posts in Connecticut. In 1633, Puritans from Massachusetts established the first permanent settlement. From the outset, the industry established a means to prosperity in the colony. Production of brass buttons and munitions placed the colony in a position to later supply the Revolutionary Army. The colonial governor of Connecticut, Jonathan Trumbull, was the only governor who supported independence.
All three Connecticut delegates to the first Continental Congress continued their representation of the colony at the Second Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.
In fact, Roger Sherman is the only person to have signed the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. Eliphalet Dyer served the state of Connecticut as chief justice after the revolution.
Silas Deane served as a spy during the war and was for a time branded a traitor along with another Connecticut native, Benedict Arnold. He died penniless, but decades later in 1840, his granddaughter would petition Congress to review his records. His name would be cleared.
Connecticut’s small but full landscape holds countless revolutionary stories and adventures along New England’s National Scenic Trail. Through every season and every era, there’s something for every generation to enjoy!
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalConnecticutDay
Explore all the adventures Connecticut has to offer and share your favorites by using #NationalConnecticutDay on social media.