Chapter 10
This is a period in which wine experienced an expansion in northern Europe thanks to the growth of ecclesiastical influence, whilst undergoing a decline in the south due to the advance of Islam, which became a threat to a product with a marked Christian symbolism.
In addition, a warming climate during this period allows for the cultivation of vineyards in new latitudes, such as in England. Viticulture calendars were popularised by monasteries and ecclesiastical orders, such as in Cluny, and with the Cistercians, Benedictines and Carthusians, who took over the production of wine. We meet the tavern keepers and appreciate that wine, in this period, was considered as a food to be consumed “in moderation”, at a rate of six litres per day.
