Celebrations, festivities and parties are settings that are often referred to when a bottle of modern day wine is opened. Wine has been used as a means of gratitude for centuries, and within those centuries, has become both an art and a science. All winemakers have come to specialize their craft, whether it be traditional method sparkling wine or a specific style of fermenting red wines. Particularly in Burgundy, France, the Cistercian monks are known to have honed the craft of wine making and vine maintenance. Under the Benedictine rule, they valued manual labour and this is demonstrated in the fine wines that they began to produce in the 12th century. Spirituality and education were also big portions of their ideals and working together with their laborious practices, creates the foundation of standards for Burgundian wine today. Through also being notorious note takers, the monks were able to discover the core varietals for the Burgundy region by running trails year after year, guided by their past notes. Creating fine products had also aided in trading processes and in turn improved the economy. The Cistercians have not only influenced the wines of Burgundy, but they have set quality standards for wines made across the globe. Modern day wine would not have the prestigious reputation that it does without the improvements that the Cistercian monks had done.
Flourishing in Cote d’Ore, Burgundy, the Cistercian monks first came to order in the 12th century. The order was first founded by the abbot of Molesme in Citeaux, St Robert. However, he was later succeeded by St Albert and then he was then followed by St Stephen Harding, of whom is considered the organizer of the Cistercian rule. 1098, St Stephen Harding was alarmed at how relaxed the Rule of St Benedict was viewed. Some sources say that St Stephen Harding is responsible for the aesthetic of Cistercian architecture and that he is responsible for the three main Cistercian principles, however, the last statement is controversial. Following the election of abbot Stephen Harding, the Cistercians began to live very simplistically because the Cistercian order was for those who were searching for a minimalistic life that was free of comforts and luxuries. For example, their buildings did not have many details and they did not dye the robes that they wore. This factor lead to them to be known as the White Monks. Their individual houses had also been built close together within the Cistercian aesthetic. Feasibly, in examining how close the homes are to one another could demonstrate the unity of the order and how they valued how often they had worked together. The monks claimed their foundations of customs to follow the Benedictine rule, which focused on manual labour, prayer and education as their three main rules. All three values contributed greatly to the success of the Cistercians in viniculture. Manual labour contributed to the actual farming and production techniques, prayer provided the monks with a connection to their work, and being educated allowed them to learn how to take detailed notes of their work. These notes would be helpful vintage after vintage because they would have helped the Cistercian monks to improve their work. By the end of the 12th century, the Cistercian order was not only exclusive to Burgundy and France, but had began to spread to Italy, Germany, England, Austria and Spain.
In Burgundy, the wealthy landowners had gifted pieces of land under their names in exchange for prayers for their soul to be saved. This demonstrates the important that communities viewed in the vineyard and workers also. These pieces of land were extremely rocky and were unsuitable for farming plants such as grain or corn. However, the rocky soil proved to be an idealistic environment to foster several grape varietals. Manual labour was an important part of the lives of the Cistercian monks and this aspect led to their success in viniculture. With the Cistercian’s labour practices, they were able to care for the vines and ensure that they were receiving everything that they required to thrive. They had planted different varietals and tested them to find out which one was the most ideal for the harsh conditions of Burgundy. The Cistercians were very good at taking detailed notes, which would have stemmed from education being part of their foundation of living. The notes that they took were extremely helpful for future generations as they continued to farm the land. After trial and error and learning by doing, the Cistercians discovered that pinot noir is a vine that is most suitable for the land. They were also the first to describe the terroir of the land, a term coined by the monks which refers to all aspects of the vines environment, including the climate and the soil. Terroir is commonly used throughout the world of winemaking, in North America, Europe and Oceana alike. Working with their Burgundian terroir year after year, they had discovered that the wine they produced from the grapes had similar tastes and textures. This had lead to the discovery that terroirs influence the flavours of the grapes and the idea that the wines taste different depending on the location and soil that the vines were grown in. They had also founded the idea of clos, and built walls around each piece of land that was donated. These walls purposed in protecting the vines from the wind and keeping potential predators out. The coinage of these words and the fine tuning of the craft of winemaking are important properties of the Cistercians and their heritage.
The Cistercians had not only increased the amount of goods produced in Burgundy, but they had increased the quality. In turn, the growth of trading products increased the trade within Burgundy which then inflated the region’s economy. The fine merchandise had encouraged trade and were starting to become an important asset of the economy. However, the wines were not exclusive to royalty, such as the dukes of Bourgogne, but rather the wines would have been included within the wages and pensions of artisans and nursing nuns. This demonstrates how important wine had become within the trades during the rise of Burgundy’s wine production. Bottles of wine were valued as coins were and other commodities in trades, such as furs or spices within trades because wine became popular. The spiritual practices of the Cistercians had motivated their hard laborious practices. Wine was also popular in the households of the elite, as it demonstrated a hierarchy and how much money that they had. In addition, it would have also have been in the homes of those who lived in wine producing areas, however, the average poor person could not afford in in the Middle ages. Wine would have been seen as prestigious and would have been unaccessible to the lower class. Nonetheless, the footprint of these wines would extend out of Burgundy and could have reached other parts of France, England, and possibly other countries. Improvements were also seen with roads and bridges to accommodate the increase in trade across the continent. This would have provided an influx of sales for Burgundian wines thus improved the economy, aiding in Burgundy becoming a more wealthy, and powerful state.
Wine had become important to those who consumed it, as it would have provided a sense of prestige. For the Cistercians, caring for the vines and fermenting the wines were important to them spiritually. Their work was more than simply work, as it became a daily spiritual practice. As the monks would complete their tasks, they recited their daily psalms. As they would recite those psalms, they would be working hard to create only the best that they could, to make good wines for the liturgy and hospitality purposes. It is clear that the Cistercian monks in Burgundy had put a lot effort into their practices. They had also treated all goods of the monastery with the same respect as they did for the chalice of the alter, which was under the St. Benedictine rule. This demonstrates the spiritual importance of the work that the Cistercians did, and the product that came from that. The spirituality of wine had also started to spread to other parts of the church. With the Fourth Council of Lateran in 1215, the idea of transubstantiation was discussed within the Eucharist doctrine. This outlines the belief that bread and wine are material substances of Christ’s blood and body. This belief led to the church believing that the consumption of these products brings them closer to Christ and one another, communally. Perhaps, this has led to the conception that wine should be drunk with friends and family during socialization as a way to connect with Christ and one another as a community. As mentioned, wine is seen as prestigious because it was only accessible to the elite but seeing how important it was to the Christian religion, especially following the Fourth Council of Lateran, it implies that this symbol of Christ was not available to peasants. This restricts the possibility of connection that the lower class could possibly have with their religion. On the other hand, wine could have been viewed as precious because it acted as a symbol of Christ. Regardless, it is evident that the wines produced not only in Burgundy, but other regions of France, were important to those who followed Christ.
The Cistercian monks have clearly not only impacted the wines of Burgundy, but they also have changed the wine making and vine growing of the world with the development of words such as terroir and the techniques they founded. The goods that they had produced created a cushion for the economy of Burgundy and had promoted trade within France and to other countries, which in turn had increased the development of major transportation roads and bridges, some of which would still be important today. Viniculture had also provided a spiritual connectedness for the Cistercian monks and is related to the significant Fourth Council of Lateran, an event that has its values still recognized today. This connection had provided a certain motivation for the Cistercians which led to them pioneering the development of vine growing and winemaking. Since this period, Burgundian wines have continued to flourish and have become internationally acclaimed to possess a high quality, a standard set by the Cistercian monks. Burgundy is recognized as the birthplace of fine wine techniques and in addition, to have a rich history. Without the work of the Cistercians, spiritually, manually and educationally, to state that the wines of today would not be the same without them is not ludicrous. The amount of labour that goes into a fine bottle of wine is astonishing and this derives from the monks and their values, making them of the upmost importance to the history of wine that they are.