Easter is the holiest time in the Christian calendar, and many of us choose to give up something for Lent – in my case, chocolate or wine. Apart from enjoying the pleasures of Easter eggs, it is a time of year when families share a meal. This year, it seems more appropriate to consider traditional teatime fare to accompany a cup of tea across the garden fence.
Whilst the cake most associated with Easter is simnel cake, topped with marzipan balls representing the twelve apostles, minus Judas, I am a fan of Bible (or Scripture) cake.
Recipes for such cakes made appearances in Victorian publications, often a source of raising money in support of church funds, as well as teaching young Sunday School girls baking skills and familiarity with Bible verses. The recipe for a Bible cake requires the cook to have their Bible to hand to identify the ingredients, almost like a crossword puzzle.
Prompted by the book Divine Vintage, I have been considering the origins of some our historic vineyards which have strong religious connections.
Catholicism, dominant in Europe during the Middle Ages, needed wine for its liturgy and is an integral part of communion with Jesus by drinking wine, the Blood of Christ.
Wine is also common in Christian symbolism, with many references in the Bible. Jesus turned water into wine during the wedding at Cana and prays over a glass of wine at the Last Supper.
From early Christianity onwards, abbots of monasteries and bishops throughout Europe became wine growers and cultivated vineyards. Wine formed part of the daily monastic diet and was used for the care of the sick and elderly. This interest in wine was economic. Wine surpluses were sold, and the profits used to maintain the monasteries.
Long before the wines of Champagne were famous, monks from the abbey of Saint Remi acknowledged the quality of the vineyards in the area. Champagne Dom Pérignon, Moët et Chandon’s top cuvée, is named after the 17th Century Benedictine Monk, arguably said to have discovered Champagne, exclaiming: ‘Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!’ Dom Pérignon is only produced in exceptional vintage years from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes picked from only the best crus of the region. Prices start from around £120.
The famous walled Clos de Vougeot vineyard was created by the Cistercian monks of Cîteaux Abbey. By 1336 it had become their flagship vineyard. These Burgundian wines produced from Pinot Noir – not cheap at £120 – have a fragrant, perfumed nose with red cherry, raspberry, rose petals and violets, and a plump, ripe palate.
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