🍷 Cistercians

The Cistercians are a monastic order founded in 1098 at Cîteaux in Burgundy. The monks lived under a strict rule, worked hard on the land and ran their own farms. Vineyards held a notable place in their monasteries, since wine was needed both for church services and for guests.

The Cistercians watched the vine closely. Over years they noted which plots gave better wine and which worse, and wrote it down. In this way they helped to single out separate plots in Burgundy, later called climats. In Germany monks of this order founded Eberbach Abbey, where they developed viticulture. One well-known vineyard became Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy.

The Cistercians became an example of how monasteries preserved and developed winemaking. They belong to the history of monasteries and wine in general. Many famous vineyards of Europe owe their origin to monks. Their work lies at the base of the modern idea of terroir, although they did not yet know that word.