Church

Kirche
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In many religions of the world wine plays an important role in worship and liturgy. It has been used since ancient times as a sacrifice pleasing to God and as a medium, with God or the gods to enter into mystical union. For many people had their own Gods Wine , for example, the Bacchus (god of wine) among the Romans and Dionysus among the Greeks. In the Bible there are numerous places to wine about some extensive quotes. A central point of faith of the Roman Catholic Church is the transformation of bread and wine into Christ's flesh and blood in the Eucharist . The preparation of altar wine was from the beginning so indispensable for the exercise of fair and a significant motivation in this regard.

Very many monasteries have sicgh therefore devoted to viticulture and winemaking very professional. Numerous vineyards still in existence today have their origins in monastic foundations of the early Middle Ages. This is especially the Order of've Benedictine , Carthusians and Cistercian operated on a large scale, and thus influenced the major European wine. Even with the mission linearization in the countries of the New World was the case, because most were to arrive in new areas, first of all planted vines and brought the wine produced. Here it was the Order of the Franciscans in California and Mexico and the Jesuits in Peru .

It is worth mentioning that already in the early Middle Ages known representatives of the churches again mostly for moral reasons in written and spoken against excessive alcohol consumption and ausartendes customs of drinking culture are used. In particular, the widespread use of the so-called has to drink denounced. Among other things, this Martin Luther (1483-1546), Johann John quickly (1540-1612) and Abraham a Sancta Clara (1644-1709). The existing in many countries or prohibition laws were often motivated by religious beliefs. By the way, have different religious orders as crucial for the cultivation of Beer contributed.

Under the French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), it is from the year 1803 came in Central Europe to the extensive expropriation and secularism (secularism) of ecclesial owned wineries and vineyards. Spiritual principalities, imperial abbeys, counties, knighthoods and sometimes religious orders were dissolved, churches and monasteries pillaged, expelled monks and nuns, as well as the noble and sacred often expropriated also owned extensive vineyards and auctioned to new owners. This caused a serious setback in the medium term in wine, but was also the birth of many of today's wineries.