Wine Enthusiast.Both worshiped as "the divine beverage" (Homer) and condemned as "a devil's curse," wine has been linked with religion through the centuries. In the Middle Ages, notes Burton Anderson in Wine Enthusiast (April 1998), "the Catholic Church remained the major benefactor ben·e·fac·tor n. One that gives aid, especially financial aid. [Middle English, from Late Latin, from Latin benefacere, to do a service; see benefaction. of wine in Europe. Benedictine monks were the first winemakers of Burgundy, followed by Cistercians, a Burgundian order that planted vines along the Rhine River Rhine River German Rhein River, western Europe. Rising in the Swiss Alps, it flows north and west through western Germany to drain through the delta region of The Netherlands into the North Sea. It is 820 mi (1,319 km) long and navigable for 540 mi (870 km). into Germany. Today, many wineries in France, Italy, Germany, and Austria continue to carry the names of monasteries, abbeys, and cloisters." The Renaissance popes, some of whom were notorious for their decadence Decadence Buddenbrooks portrays the downfall of a materialistic society. [Ger. Lit.: Buddenbrooks] cherry orchard focal point of the declining Ranevsky estate. [Russ. and corruption, also had their upside, finds Anderson: Under their leadership, "the Vatican in Rome was a center of feasting and celebration. Popes and cardinals became the leading promoters and appreciators of the wines of their day... Among the church's many contributions to the annals an·nals pl.n. 1. A chronological record of the events of successive years. 2. A descriptive account or record; a history: "the short and simple annals of the poor" of wine was the monk Dom Perignon Dom Perignon renowned vintage French champagne. [Western Cult.: Misc.] See : Luxury , who discovered how to put bubbles into champagne." |
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