In God we Trust (especially when it comes to wine.)

It has to be one of the most over looked facts in wine history, that being the contribution of the church in the development of wine.

One could readily argue that without the help of the church that wine and viticulture as we understand it today would not be what it is, we appreciate the contribution of the Romans in the earliest development of wine and certainly the the early propagation of vineyards as they spread across Europe and North Africa.

But it was the contributions of the Catholic Church over and over again , has made critical contributions to both wine making and wine drinking.

The religious connection with wine dates back to the Old Testament and the Great Flood and Noah.

the Psalmist wrote that God made wine to gladden mans heart".

Evidently this is the first thing that Noah reached for post the great flood , evidently he got very drunk on wine that he had actually made from his own vineyard, see even then we celebrated great success with a fine drop of vino not much has changed over the years.

Further evidence of the relationship between church and wine can be found in the earliest ministry of Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament , we meet Jesus Christ whose public ministry kicked off with the transformation of roughly 180 gallons of water in wine. Jesus evidently feasted to me much and was accused by John the Baptist as being a glutton and a drunkard (Luke 7:34)

Zac Davis American Jesuit Review December 2022

Wine and religion got off to a very early partnership

The support by the church of the concept and benefits of wine outside of the Holy Sacrement are also evident where under the rule of St Benedict .

We believe that a hermina of wine a day ( 2.5 bottles per week) is sufficient for each, that wine was in fact a special reward

After the demise of the Roman Empire many of the great vineyards of Europe fell into disregard and disrepair.

Notable wine writer Huon Johnson was quoted as saying

The church preserved European wine making , saintly bishops are credited with many miracles , but perhaps their greatest was the maintenance of organised agriculture of which wine was an important part of.

One only has to look at the contribution of the Citreaux Monks in Burgundy , their further research and contribution to what would be considered and advance agricultural and viticultural practices cannot be under scored. It was their mapping and delineation of the vineyards across Burgundy that remains today one of the most amazing feats of applied agricultural science.

The monks not only calculated and mapped the exact geographical plot for each village in Burgundy but also provided a defined expression of quality for the fruit and where the best fruit would and should be grown, this as we know it today was the start of the Appellation/Cru classification.

If you visit Burgundy, you will see what they regard locally as a "split" this is the physical gap between mountains which serves to delineate and classify one village , appellation for one another. A recent study conducted proved that the original calcultions of the monks was with a 95% confidence of accuracy.

The work was stewarded by St Robert of Molesmes, under his leadership the power of the Citreaux Monks grew, in the 12th Century the region around Challon became at that stage the centre of wine world their readiness to experiment and invest both time and energy into the pursuit of improving both agricultural and viticultural practices was years ahead of its time.

One of the most interesting practices that the monks created was the habit of to "literally taste the soil of their vineyards " . I know I have been guilty of this as well as many viticulturists that I have worked with in Burgundy over the years have always encouraged me to lick the stones I found in their vineyards so I taste the heart of soul of their wines.

Burgundy was not alone other regions of France were also equally influenced in their development notably Languedoc in the south of France. Viticulture under the Romans flourished here but the edict of Domitains edict of AD92 ordering many existing vineyards to be ripped up so that the land could be used for other cultivation activities.

By the time the 15th century had arrived the Benedict Monks had established over 50 abbeys in the region , according to Rosemary George MW

The production of wine was an essential part of the monastic life as it was needed not only for the Eurcharist but also for hospitality , the monasteries were considered the earlier version of a 4 star hotels of the Medieval times.

The region fast grew to become one of Frances largest wine growing regions, vineyard plantings continued to grow and very rapidly in the 17th century .

It is interesting to note once the stewardship of the vineyards was removed from the Citreaux Monks by Napoleon forcing all religious communities to surrender their lands , the redeployment of farm labour to other activities added further burden to the industry.

Maybe this was hand of God at work here as not only did the vineyards fall into disrepair but were savagely afflicted by a plague of phylloxera that all but decimated all of Frances vineyards.

Napoleon should never of messed with the church it seems as clearly the wrath of god would be upon him.

There is much to be written here as this is nothing more than a quick snapshot , the influence of the church has wained over the years , according to French wine writer Marc Patier.

The relationship between monks ( and nuns) and wine, in France , seemed to belong to a definitely gone past.

Hugh Johnson challenges the proposition between faith and finances , questioning that there was no one motivation that seemed to support the church's active involvement in the development of wine, what ever the motivation we should all be glad to says thanks for what they did as I am sure the world of wine as we see it today would not be the same " god knows where it would be "

Wine at its core is a 'spiritual drink" it provides us with such great joy and pleasure, we wax lyrically about its qualities and characteristics, we marvel at her beauty and diversity , it is and will always remain to me to be a truly spiritual experience and journey

In closing the words of Pope Benedict captures the moment.

Wine expresses excellence of creation and gives us the feast in which we go beyond the limits of our daily routine

I hope you enjoyed this post, a big thanks to Rosemary George MW, Hugh Johnson and Zac Davis for your insight and inspiration