1671 – Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal England's Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.Punch makes his first recorded appearance in England. 1662 – The figure who later became Mr.1540 – Hernando de Alarcón sets sail on an expedition to the Gulf of California.1450 – 'Abd al-Latif ( Timurid monarch) is assassinated.1386 – England and Portugal formally ratify their alliance with the signing of the Treaty of Windsor, making it the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world which is still in force.1009 – Lombard Revolt : Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.328 – Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria.My copy was purchased on Amazon, but most book stores should be able to order it.May 9 is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar 236 days remain until the end of the year. It will make a great holiday present for the wine lovers in your life, even if that lover is you. My other critique would be that this book will cost me a lot of money as Curtis makes the wines sound so good, that my wine budget may need some “adjusting”.įor those who like reading about wine, and for those who want to learn more about Champagne, this book is highly recommended. The errors distract from the flow and enjoyment. The difference is this book costs $25 (paperback). For those perusing this web site or my notes, and probably this article, it may seem hypocritical as there can often be found proofreading errors. Perhaps the money for a final read thru is not there, or we need better proof readers. It is hard to go more than a few pages without a typo, strange symbol or missing word.

It doesn’t appear to have undergone serious proofreading. I have one major criticism of the book which seems to come up more and more in wine books. Finally, he has a thorough review of the laws surrounding Champagne. That is key to understanding any wine critic. He also reviews some very common and available wines, which is helpful to get a handle on his tastes and preferences. Curtis includes many of his own tasting notes on wines that only a few people will ever have the opportunity to taste. For a wine geek, that is a fascinating read. The second part of the book reviews vintages back to 1899. Save up to $150 in tastings per Day! It’s good for the year at 250 California wineries. Visiting wine country? Sniff, Swirl, Sip, and Save with The Priority Wine Pass.

Strange Country Day by Charles Curtis