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The Chief Wine Steward Welcomes You
"I suppose we can thank the Heavens for a good crop this year. Indeed the grapes are fine and the wine will be better in due time. Wine is quite a popular drink in these times and as such, those who make it are very much in demand. It would seem though that public intoxication is somewhat of a problem. That's why some Kings and local lords levied a law against the consumption of wine, beer and ale in their territories and provinces. Many of the abbeys took to making wine when such things happened. The abbeys and church are not required to adhere to local law. They only answer to the Vatican in Rome and as a result the friars and monks capitalized on the product.
Wine is used at the feasts of our lords and nobles, during church ceremonies, to seal pacts and agreements between businessmen and during the sanctity of marriages. The drink is more symbolic with its reflections to Christ at the Last Supper. Therefore its consumption is supposed to remind the people that they are imitating the Lord. However, after people drink too much of it they often imitate fools, jesters and clowns."
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