Feast of St. Amand (d. 679). Monk. Hermit. Abbot. His association with vintners originates from his preaching and teaching in the beer and wine regions of France, Flanders and Germany.

Birth of James Busby. Born in Scotland, Busby was a viticulturist, writer and public servant, known as the “Father of the Australian Wine Industry.” Took first collection of vine stock from Spain and France in the 1830s to Australia. Australian Chardonnay and Shiraz trace their origins to his vine imports.

Wine and prosperity flow along on the same current of joy. A recent Wall Street Journal story by Laura Santini reports that Hong Kong has become an international wine hub, thanks to the growing appreciation of wine and luxury accompanying the new Chinese economy. (Hong Kong is now Sotheby’s leading wine-auction market.) The city has seen an especially large uptick in business because of the elimination of a 40 percent tax on wine imports (it’s 43 percent on the mainland). The preferred bottle to cement and celebrate a business deal? The 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, which sells for roughtly $5,000 in Hong Kong. Although local wine experts suspect a lot of it is counterfeit. 12/5/09.

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