THE INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCH

As Europe entered the Middle Ages, however, trade began to resume. The rich and heady wines of the Mediterranean such as malmsey, a sweet wine from Greece (made famous by the Duke of Clarence, who drowned in a butt of it) became particularly popular in northern Europe. Meanwhile, a new player, the Church, became important in both the production and distribution of wine. In the monasteries, monks observed and studied the natural world, which included an understanding of viticulture. Thus the Church was able to develop its expertise in winemaking. And as the only truly trans-national organization in Europe, its widely traveled members disseminated their knowledge, as did monasteries, acting as providers of hospitality.

The Abbey of Citeaux, founded in 1098 by the Cistercian order, sits just outside the Cote d'Or, the heartland of the Burgundy wine region. Originally seeking a simple, austere life, the monks later became wealthy as the laity, concerned for their souls in the afterlife, bequeathed property (including vineyards) to the abbey. By the end of the twelfth century the Church owned much of the land in the village of Vougeot. At the same time, the abbey became a major staging post for travelers. As a result, visitors sampled the wines and thus the monks' reputation spread, stimulating demand for their produce. Their influence lasted until 1789, when the French Revolution appropriated Church lands, although their direct control of the vineyards had ceased some time before then.

Perhaps the event that best symbolized the end of the Middle Ages was Columbus' voyage to the Americas in 1492. By the end of 1521, there were vineyards in Mexico, by 1548 they could be found in Chile and by 1769 in California. The Dutch made wine in the Cape of Good Hope in 1659, and vine cuttings were taken from there by the first European settlers of Australia and New Zealand.

Part of the reason for the spread of wine to Spain's new colonies in the Americas was the clergy, particularly the Jesuits, who came in the wake of the conquistadors, intent on saving the souls of the new subject peoples and requiring wine to celebrate the Eucharist. Initially, new plantings in the colonies were forbidden, to protect Spanish wine production. But exports could not keep up with demand, and the Church, among others, planted vineyards. One of the grapes now widely planted in South America is called the "Mission," the name betraying its original use.