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After the Roman collapse in Europe, very like the culture of wine would have died as well. However, the now spiritual connection of wine with religious sacraments, kept its relevance even in regions where it did not grow well. Thus, as Christianity spread, so did wine. Northern Europe became more of a beer and ale drinking culture, due to the climate being more favorable to wheat and barley based alcoholic drinks. However, the need wine for in mass resulted in the constant need to import wine. This created an important business opportunity for a variety of monastic orders. Thus, perhaps not surprisingly, the best and most prolific wine producers in the early Medieval period were different orders of monasteries. The Benedictines, in particular, became well known wine makers, often exporting their produce toraise funds in addition to being used for sacraments.
After centuries of growing grapes in different parts of Europe, varieties began to form that have become some of the best known wine types today. Riesling, for instance, was a white grape variety that grew well in the Rhine Valley, which has developed their since the 15th century. Burgundy in France became well known for variety of wines, including developing Pino Gris and , Pinot noir, and chablis and others that had begun to develop already by the Roman period. Chenin blanc was another white grape variety developed in Anjou.
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