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Muskets and Barrels at Porto: Twin Strikes on the Douro (March–May 1809)
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Prologue: Empire, Peninsula, and the Wine Country In 1809, Europe was ablaze with the Napoleonic Wars. Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte had swept much of Europe into…
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Blood and Wine at Himera
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A Gateway to Sicily Sicily has always been more than just the Mediterranean’s largest island—it has been the crossroads of civilizations. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans,…
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Operation Dragoon: The “Other” D-Day (That Liberated the Vineyards of Southern France!)
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In the shadow of Normandy, another invasion unfolded in 1944—less heralded, but no less vital. Operation Dragoon, when allied infantry and tanks stormed the French…
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Mississippi Rifles in Wine Country: The Skirmish at Rancho Olómpali
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The Bear Flag Revolt and the Road to War In the early summer of 1846, California stood at a geopolitical crossroads. While still nominally under…
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Capture of Fort George, Icewine, and heavy artillery
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Overview: The War of 1812, often overshadowed in American historical memory by the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, was nevertheless crucial in shaping the…
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Caporetto, Vineyards, and a Game-Changing Gun
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Overview: A Crossroads of Culture and Conflict Northeast Italy has long been a contested frontier where geography, culture, and empire has collided for millennia. The…
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Posted On AncientA Drunken Duel in Stone: Dionysus Defeats Hercules on Ancient Sarcophagus
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While not strictly wine and warfare, this find is still a battle—and a fascinating one at that! Archaeologists in Israel recently uncovered a unique 1,700-year-old…
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Posted On OverviewIntroduction to Vini Bellum
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This site has been nearly 20 years in the making. My interest in the connection between warfare and wine began during a trip to Europe,…