It's an interesting paradox that the best wines in the world are often crafted either by monastics, or hedonists. While it's easy to grasp the connection between a demanding palette and the production of fine wine, the link between wine and monks may not immediately be as clear.
Wine has played a crucial role in religion for several thousand years--well before the establishment of Christianity, and even before the first major Jewish prophets. In a time when alcohol was not recognized as a distinct chemical compound, wine enjoyed an elevated status for its ability to quickly change mood (for better or worse). This mysterious effect was given a metaphysical explanation, and thus, wine became predominant in religious rituals. Libations were poured for the gods by Greeks and Italians, and ritual drunkenness was common, especially among followers of Dionysus and similar deities.
Though ritual and recreational enjoyment of wine was commonplace throughout the region, the advent of monotheism demanded a shift away from pagan traditions. The emergent Jewish community still embraced wine as a part of daily life, but drunkenness was frowned upon. This view was adopted by the early Christians as well, but for them, wine gained a profound spiritual worth for its role in the Eucharist (the ritual consumption of bread and wine). As Christianity spread, so did the need for wine to perform the Eucharist. Thus, the monastic vintner was born, since it was easiest for each region to produce its own wine in an age where regularly importing large quantities of wine was infeasible.
In fact, Christian missionaries are responsible for introducing European varietals to several prominent locations around the world, including South America, California, and Australia. It wasn't until the modern age that an abstinent attitude towards alcoholic beverages developed in northern Europe, supplemented by an existing intolerance for alcohol in the neighboring Islamic world. This view was transmitted to the New World through America's early colonists, resulting in the religious discomfort towards alcohol we often see today--and hence, the impression that wine and monks somehow don't mix. In reality, monasteries the world over have preserved many traditional methods of wine making, and shared the products of those methods with millions the world over; and that's a mission I'll support any day!
