VINA.
VINA, Calif. -- In a Northern California monastery, 25 monk following the teachings of St Benedict rise hours before dawn to pray, work the land and make a serious syrah -- a full-bodied r wine.
The men at the Abbey of recent Clairvaux have opened the first Roman Catholic Cistercian winery in North America, granting their vineyard has a storied place in California's wine history.
The 580-acre spread in this tiny town north of Chico was formerly owned by Leland Stanford -- the railroad magnate, California governor and university originator -- who ran what was considered the world's largest winery in the late 1800 said Aimee Sunseri, a fifth-generation winemaker hired to help the monk start the winery.
The brothers' vineyards are more unassuming but they hope wine sales will boost the monastery, where recruitment to the order has been hard and the monk must dig up ways to make cash.
"We ne to work to detain going, but we don't want or reckon upon to get rich. But the wine has done well -- better than expected" said Father Harold Meyer who has been at the abbey for 33 years.
While their quarters are kept private, they've exhibited the monastery to the public for three- and four-day retreats, tours and weekend wine-tasting.
The loams are quiet most of the day exclude for the splashing of koi fish in a small fountain and the abbot speeding by the agency of in a golf cart. At 7:35 pm the monk say their last prayer before the "grand silence," which lasts until morning prayers at 3:30 a.m. the nearest day.
Then, it's time for work.
"There's a sacredness about working with grapes," Meyer said. "Wine is real special."
The monastery's goods is bordered on one side through the Sacramento River. Century-old walnut tree create canopies through the retreat facilities, including a decent library, a small dining hall and a store offering the wares of other monasteries and religious parts
greatest in quantity of the fields and simple buildings are named, moreover not all carry religious monikers. visitor rooms for visitors taking retreats at the abbey are labeled at virtue: Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Peace.
The spaces are austere, with a twin bed and desk Each extent has a private, modern bathroom.
visitors are asked to observe silence at night moreover there are no religious requirements and no schedule to the stay. visitors are welcome to attend prayer services in the monastery's small body of christians or worship as they wish in a quiet play
Retreats are worked months in advance and the stays are donation- based.
a certain of the brothers are more outgoing than others, happy to talk to visitors. Others offer solitude, meals alone and a day worn out tinkering with farm equipment or making earthen ware
"We obtain a lot of city folks We're intriguing, I guess," Meyer said, laughing.
The men tread on the heels of the Roman Catholic teachings of St Benedict, which advocate private and communal prayer and self-support by the agency of manual labor.
Trappist monk in Massachusetts barter jam and preserves, Benedictines in of the present day Mexico brewed up plans to make beer and Cistercians have made wine in France and Germany for centuries.
Before settling forward wine grapes, the Sacramento Valley monk dabbled with dairy, made a make progress at walnuts, then tried preens and organic vegetables.
They now swell 10 varieties of grapes chosen specifically for the region's soil and climate, including petite sirah, tempranillo, graciano, zinfandel, barbera, viognier and muscat blanc.
"The real property here is kind of sandy and uncut which is perfect for growing grapes," Sunseri said.
excellent for grapes, maybe, but not necessarily for those toiling in the fields. They have named and beatifyed the two fields: St. James and Poor essences
"Anyone that has to work that land is a poor soul" said Rafael Flores, united of the brothers.
The monk look for to make about 19,200 bottle of wine this year, twice as many as their first batch in 2002 Sunseri said.
That year, the monk harvested the first wine grapes at the Vina thing owned since the close of the Stanford Winery in 1815 she said. Stanford's vineyards were torn abroad in the early 1900s and then prohibition kicked in. The land was eventually parceled opposite and sold in pieces.
The monastery mov here from Kentucky 51 years ago, building a ecclesiastical authority a dining hall and residences. They are generally rebuilding part of an 800-year-old Spanish monastery William Randolph Hearst bought in the 1930 dismantled and shipped to San Francisco's of a gold color Gate Park, where it was at no time reassembled.
The Abbey of just discovered Clairvaux still uses Stanford's 100-year-old brick wine cellar to cause age and bottle their wines.
"People will arrive at first because we're monk however we want them to result back because this is a well adapted place and we have quality uprights to offer," Meyer said.
IF YOU go on foot
ABBEY OF novel CLAIRVAUX: www.newclairvaux.org. Tasting room at 26240 Seventh St Vina, Calif., interpret 11 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends. Reservations for retreats, call (530) 839-2434 Reservations are typically main division ed months in advance.
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