The Christians among us will know the story of the marriage feast of Cana in the gospel of St. John, when Jesus changed water into wine, and also that Jesus used wine in the last supper - a choice that is remembered at every celebration of mass. What may be less well known is that wine is mentioned 155 in the Old Testament and 10 times in the New. Wine and religion are inexorably inter-twined.

In Exodus we find the Hebrews regretting having to leave their vineyards in Egypt, but all was well - in the Promised Land they found the Plain of Sharon green with vines and before long Palestine was covered in vineyards. Given this close relationship with the vine and its wine, it's no surprise then that by the time of Jesus wine was an integral part of the Judaic way of life.

With the fall of the Roman Empire came Europe's Dark Ages, when the role of the monks and the monasteries became crucial in preserving the remnants of classical civilisation as well as keeping viticulture alive. As Christianity spread across Europe so did monasteries, and with them came vineyards. As early as the 1100s the Cistercians were making wine at Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy. In early mediaeval times monks were making wine in Southeast England as well as in all of Europe's major wine-making areas.

The Christian Crusaders who fought against the Saracens brought back to Europe the Muscat grape, which today produces the wines of Rivesaltes. But they also learned a new trick from the abstemious Saracens: the art of distilling. There are still words in our vocabulary that date from this: alcohol, which in Arabic is al-kuhl, and the word we use for a simple still - alembic - is also from the Arabic, al-anbiq.

Perhaps the most notable contribution of the monks to the art of vinification is that of Dom Perignon, the cellar-master monk credited with the discovery of Champagne as we now know it. But after close to a thousand years of dominating wine production, the monasteries began to lose out. The first assault was by Henry VIII of England who plundered the monasteries of their wealth and took control of their assets. After the French Revolution the vineyards were taken from the nobles and the Church and redistributed among the people, an action that has left Burgundy even today with many small holdings. Not long after, Napoleon did the same thing in Germany and soon politicians and statesmen were taking over the vineyards. Talleyrand took over Chateau Haut Brion and Metternich took over Schloss Johannisberg. Since then, wine has become secularised.

Wine of the Week.

Novas 2002, Cabernet / Merlot (Organic)

People who suffer from 'organic panics' will often buy products simply because the word 'organic' appears on the label. When it comes to wines this broad brush-stroke approach won't always deliver a good wine. This Chilean wine is made from organically grown grapes and has a deep bouquet and an almost purplish hue. It's a big wine, but it's soft and velvety on the palate.

Available O'Brien's Off-Licenses €9.99 (limited stocks)