Reading about the Vatican’s
prominence in the world of wine this week reminds us here at the Ideal Wine
Company of the role religion has played in the wine trade for centuries. That’s
why we wanted to explore the role of monasteries in modern viticulture.
It’s no secret that wine was a
staple of the ancient world. Civilisations from the Egyptians to the Babylonians
to the Assyrians to the Persians, Greeks and Romans all counted wine as a part
of their daily lives. This led to the infamous inclusion of wine as part of the
Last Supper of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion.
This is where the monastic wine
tradition originates from; through the inclusion of wine in a ceremony
(communion) designed to mimic the Last Supper. In order to have a constant
supply on hand for ceremonies it was practical for monasteries to get involved
in the wine trade.
It was all very practical but
viticulture faced dangerous times after the fall of the Roman Empire, as did
many other vestiges of the former super power. Indeed in the western world of
the time, these practises only survived the dark ages due to their involvement
from the monastic community.
This meant that not only did
monks become the most prolific winemakers in Christendom; they also were the ones
who wrote great literature, who produced great art, who became philosophers and
appreciators of the classics. Ancient culture survived to influence the
intellectuals of the enlightenment period largely in part because of the
efforts of the monastic community.
This dedication has meant that
the monastic community became responsible for spreading viticulture throughout
the new world. When the Spanish began colonising the America’s, for example,
the monks planted vineyards so that they would have a supply of communion wine.
This was the birth of the California wine trade.
This period also saw the
community contribute heavily to one of the worlds most beloved wine traditions;
that enjoyed by France, the most famous maker of wine internationally. Monks
had key roles in the creation of famous French products including most notably
Champagne and Cognac.
The monastic tradition was in
large part responsible for many of the luxury wines that we feature on the
Ideal Wine Company product list today. This is why we always have to remember
that innovation and creation in this most diverse industry comes from the most
unusual places. It really is a match made in heaven.
