Roger Scruton once said that “although wine is not necessary for holiness…holiness is a wonderful addition to wine. The greatest wines grow in sacred places.” Christmastime is a period when wine should flow freely to lubricate the festivities; my concern for the wines I wish to serve to my friends and family is that they belong to the sacred landscape of our ancestors.
Few places in England can boast a sacred history anywhere close to that of the county of Somerset, and in particular its crowning glory, Glastonbury. Not only was it believed to be the burial place of King Edmund and King Arthur, and of the great Saints Patrick, Aristobulus, Bride, Gildas, Columba and David, but relics of Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Hilda of Whitby and Bede were also transported there. Finally, it also laid claim to the resting place of the first apostle to this land.
It was at Glastonbury, so the great Councils of the Church at Pisa, Constance, Sienna and Basel confirmed, that the great-uncle of the Blessed Virgin Mary – St Joseph of Arimathea – first brought the light of Christ to England. The staff that he planted on the Holy Island of Avalon would grow into the famous mystical hawthorn, which blossomed twice every year – including on the old Christmas Day of the Celtic Church (6 January). For centuries these flowers were sent to monarchs, to remind them of this sacred mission.
<a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/joseph-of-arimathaea-artefact-at-the-va-is-a-national-historic-treasure/"><strong><em><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">RELATED: Joseph of Arimathæa artefact at V&A offers rare window into ‘how England really looked’ in Middle Ages</mark></em></strong></a>
At Glastonbury we find the mysteries of Christmas and royalty tied to the very mysteries of winemaking themselves. Tradition tells us the very strip of ground on which St Joseph first alighted (the sea came in much further in those days) was – and is to this day – called “Vineyard”. It was tended for centuries by monks who themselves were a legacy of the first anchorites to join St Joseph, though unfortunately the forces of darkness – Henry VIII and his ilk – did much to freeze off the early buds of the New Jerusalem.
I still hold the lands of Glastonbury and wider Somerset to be the most sacred in all of Western Europe. Therefore it is to Somerset that I look when filling my table for the Christmas season.
First, the bubbles: the sparkling wine I will be serving comes from the wonderful Wraxall Vineyard, just south of the Mendip Hills. Established in the 1970s, this is one of the oldest revived vineyards in the UK and exhibits some excellent and reasonably priced British wine.<br>
<br>The fish dishes (a favourite of mine is heavy, meaty turbot) will be served with Oatley Vineyard’s Jane’s 2022, from another excellent estate. The quintessentially English citrus and elder flower notes will not disappoint.<br>
<br>Red wine is obviously more difficult for English producers, yet there is the award-winning Aldwick Estate Pinot Noir to be served, bringing its touch of oak and vibrant notes of cherry and plum to the meat courses.<br>
<br>As red wine is so important to a great feast, a second option will come from the Benedictine Via Caritatis range: Abbayes Tota Pulchra Es. The Rhône Valley has its own mysterious connections to the evangelisation of Britain, and though not from Somerset it will add essential monastic spirituality to the table.
The rosé on offer will come from another local passion project: Dunleavy Vineyard, where the 2023 vintage will complement a range of cream-based puddings.<br>
<br>Eschewing a traditional dessert wine, I will opt in favour of a mead – which has become something of a family tradition at Christmas. Last year, the Lindisfarne Mead surprised us all; it went down a storm, particularly with the grandmothers. This year we will be turning to mead from Pennard Organic Wines: another charming family-run affair within hiking distance from Glastonbury Tor.
Two thousand years ago, Our Lord proclaimed, “I am the true vine”, and medieval artists allegorised Christ’s Passion as the crushing of mystical grapes. St Joseph of Arimathea, the noble counsellor, arrived on a piece of land called “Vineyard”, and the Council of Constance specifically referred to England as “The Lord’s Vineyard” with regards to St Joseph’s mission. Our Christian soil is inescapably tied to the mysticism of the vine, and so at the birth of our Saviour we should celebrate it as such.
By enjoying the wines from the same lands we not only partake in their sacrality, but support the small family businesses who are reviving this venerable tradition, often with a deep concern for environmentally friendly production. Let us, this Christmastime, drink to our Christian heritage and prepare our hearts for that day when we drink from the new wine which the Master of the Vineyard will prepare for us at the apocalyptic Wedding Feast.
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<em>Photo: The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. (Getty.)</em>
<strong><strong>This article appears in the special December/January 2024 double edition of the <em>Catholic Herald</em>. To subscribe to our award-winning, thought-provoking magazine and have independent, high-calibre, counter-cultural and orthodox Catholic journalism delivered to your door anywhere in the world click <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/subscribe/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">HERE</mark></a></strong></strong>.
