Even though most people won’t need a holiday to enjoy a fine wine paired with a nice plate of cheese, it’s nice to know that a holiday exists that praises this combination of food and drink. This holiday is known as National Wine and Cheese Day, and it’s celebrated on July 25th every year. Anyone looking to celebrate this day should bring out their best wine glasses and a cheese knife and get ready to have a very delicious day.

The History of Wines & Cheeses

Although we aren’t currently sure when National Wine and Cheese Day was started, we’re pretty sure it was started by someone who enjoyed this food combination on a regular basis. With that having been said, we would like to talk about the history of wines and cheeses. Since wine is the younger of the two items, we’ll start there.

Most historians agree that wine originated somewhere in ancient China around 7,000 B.C. It was also found in Persia around 5,000 B.C., and in Sicily around 4,000 B.C. Many of these early wines were fermented from rice or from rice and grape juices combined.

Cheese and cheesemaking began even before written history. Many historians believe that cheese was first developed somewhere between 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, and it may even be older than that. According to popular belief, the first cheese was made when milk was stored in an animal’s stomach. As the milk soured, it mixed with the animal’s digestive juices, and rudimentary curds and whey developed.

Facts About Wine & Cheese

Now that we know a little bit more about where wine and cheese came from, we would like to share some interesting facts about wines and cheeses that we discovered while researching National Wine & Cheese Day.

Wine Facts:

• Italy, France, Spain, and the United States are the top wine producers in the world.
• Also in the top ten of worldwide wine producers are Argentina, Australia, South Africa, and Germany.
• The top imported wines into the U.S. are Yellowtail from Australia and Cavit from Italy.
• The top U.S. wine-producing states are California, Washington, and New York.

Cheese Facts:

• On average, it takes 10 pounds of milk to make just one pound of cheese.
• About a quarter of all U.S. cheese is manufactured in Wisconsin.
• Brie de Meaux, Reblochon, and Valençay are cheeses that are illegal to sell in the U.S. due to safety concerns.
• There are four pounds of cheese in storage for every American man, woman, and child.
• After Reagan signed the 1981 Farm Bill, American storage of cheese soared from 590 million pounds to 1.2 billion pounds.
• Most of the cheese that was stored during the 1980s was stored in Missouri caves.

Observing National Wine and Cheese Day

Celebrating this holiday is as easy as selecting your favorite wine, selecting your favorite cheese, and then having yourself a little party. You can eat your cheese and drink your wine alone, or you can invite friends and family to join in on the fun. While you’re celebrating, use the hashtag #NationalWineAndCheeseDay on your social media accounts and maybe include a picture of your cheeseboard along with your post. That way, we can all see what you’re enjoying on this holiday.