The Spirituality of Wine

by Gisela Kreglinger

In this book Gisela Kreglinger offers a fresh, holistic vision of the Christian life that sees God at work in all created things, including vineyards, the work of vintners, and the beauty of well-crafted wine shared with others around a table. Kreglinger begins by examining wine in the Bible, in the history of the church, and in the Lord’s Supper, and these reflections culminate in a theology of joy and feasting that celebrates the human senses as gifts for tasting the goodness of God.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Religion, Food, Christian, History, Faith

282 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2016

Reviews

[Tony Reinke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is loaded with interesting tidbits about life on a vineyard and puts words to the subtleties of wine flavors. It excels in pointing out how wine is the driving metaphor of the biblical joy language, and the book is beautifully written. But what seems to be a latent universalism pokes through here and there, which may explain why the author fails to fully develop the wine metaphor of God’s active wrath on evil, and the curious absence of key texts like Jeremiah 25:15 and Revelation 14:10; 16:19; 18:3 in the body of the work. Wine is a very common (and complex) metaphor that invites us to taste its many different flavors in Scripture. This book gets at a few of them well.

[Becky Pliego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful in many ways. I loved it.

Note: Because Gisela Kreglinger is a Lutheran and I am not, I found myself disagreeing with her views on the Eucharist; however, I was able to reap some good fruit from that chapter in her book.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book. Too many of us have giving too little thought and study about what the Bible says about wine. Regardless of what side of the issue of drinking wine you are on, it can't be denied that wine is a prevalent theme in Scripture, which needs honest treatment. I disagreed with some of the theology and philosophy in this book, but the biblical passages treated in the book were handled fairly well. The historical and contemporary milieu of winemaking sections in the book were interesting and informative. The book really shines in the artful descriptions of vineyards and the connection between wine in the barrel and the soil of the place. Kreglinger dealt with the delicate balance between artful craft and the role of technology.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhaustively researched, footnoted and delivered, this is the definitive textbook on the subject. Pro: deep and insightful. Con: it's a textbook. Still, that's not so bad. This title was used in our church small group, supplemented with another title that I can't remember. Talking about this book was more fun than reading it - a lot of fun, actually.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part one is an excellent investigation of wine in the scriptures and the spiritual life. The material is fascinating and engaging. Recommended for anyone interested in how the Bible or the church speaks of/uses wine.

Part two looks at wine itself: the use of technology, health benefits, and abuses. This part could have been more streamlined, but is still quite informative.

Overall, a worthwhile read for how wine was used in the spiritual life of the church and how this element may breathe new life into a society alienated from the natural world through consumerism.

[Arthur George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albeit from a fairly narrow perspective, this is a well written and useful book by an author who grew up in a winemaking family in Germany and who also has a graduate degree in biblical studies, so she is fluent with the biblical material relating to wine, vineyards, etc. The author is a committed Christian, and the discussion of the book is limited to being within a faith-based, Christian framework. Since I'm a biblical studies geek, I liked reading that discussion insofar as it went, and agreed with the author on the points she was making from the biblical studies perspective, even though I don't consider myself a believing Christian. (As such a geek, I also appreciated her appendix listing of biblical wine terminology in Hebrew and Greek. It was nice to have it all in one place.) The spirituality of wine, however, extends well beyond the Christian framework, as many of the American winemakers that she interviewed stressed to her. Getting that broader perspective will have to come from another book.

[Jeri Bidinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting topic, and I'm glad for this book. I appreciated learning something of the history of winemaking, as well as the history of wine's role in the church. The author, however, overstates the case for wine's spiritual value and centrality in biblical thought, making it of far greater significance that it is. She is repetitive with her themes and central points, so that I ended up doing a lot of skimming of material that had been discussed again and again. At times, she comes across as a wine snob in her dismissal of large wine producers, and she perhaps romanticizes the vintner's relationship with land, soil and grape. In all of that, I think she undercuts her case, and that the stories and information could have stood on their own with less aggrandizement. A distinctive book, worth reading.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather lovely, and as far as I am aware, unique book written from a unique perspective. Gisela Kreglinger comes from a centuries-old established family of German vintners and Lutherans. She is able to provide theological perspective alongside expertise. Her enthusiasm for the grape is infectious and her treatment of the Wedding at Cana allowed me to see a whole new aspect to this, sometimes baffling, story.

She writes in her second language (an achievement in itself!) and her prose can feel a little flat. I was also not entirely convinced by her strong belief in the many health benefits of drinking a glass or two of wine a day (much as I would like to be convinced), but those aside this is a wonderful book that deserves to be read widely.

I finished it whilst drinking a glass of a rather nice red wine from Puglia. As she says on a few occasions. To drink is to pray. Amen.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the first couple of chapters where Kreglinger was delving in the scriptures in relationship to wine. These chapters really engaged my theological wonderment and I'm looking forward to doing some further exegetical work in this area. I also greatly appreciated the chapter in the second half of the book that addressed substance abuse.
Unfortunately, there was much repetition of ideas throughout the book that needed to be waded through to get to the fresh ideas.
This is certainly a book that will remain on the shelf of my theological library.

[Timothy Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brings a perspective to spiritual formation helps to recover the grateful enjoyment of food and drink from the gnostic embarrassment with which Christians have typically approached it. It’s common to find people attributing heightened spiritual sensitivity to walks in the woods, but much less common to hear of this in the context of the dinner table, even though Jesus himself made a meal his central sacrament. Much to appreciate here. Several portions of chapter 10 seem to me to strain the interpretation more than the Scriptural metaphors will bear. Even so, a very worthwhile read.

[Sarah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful look at wine in the Bible, throughout ancient cultures, and wine as we know it today. Kreglinger shares the church’s long held attitude towards wine as something that can bring us closer to God, our creator and redeemer. She also looks at ethical problems in viticulture today, wine’s health benefits, and alcohol abuse.
She unearthed for me new meaning in the Eucharist, in being joyful of my salvation, and the significance of His gift of Christ and the hope we have of seeing Him face to face, all through a study of wine. Amazing.

[Dustin Karzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was helpful and rewarding overall. The areas especially illuminating were this historic and biblical connections to wine, and the contrasting modern attitude towards wine and alcohol. Especially thought provoking was how she connected it to modern consumerism, individualism, and substance abuse.

Her recap of Babettes feast was wonderful.

At times the book felt very generic and repetitive but overall a worthwhile read on the subject.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over two years reading this book...more like chewing through this book. Very thorough and interesting (somewhat) history of wine, including extensive notes from the Bible and what wine means to the community of those who share it.
The last chapter offered the most insight for me and I underlined nearly all of it. :)
I will return to that chapter often.

[Monika Schrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting look at the role wine plays in both spirituality and daily life throughout the Bible as well as through the ages until today. Wine truly is a part of both the Jewish and Christian DNA, and in our relationship with God/each other.

[Erin McDonnell-Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very, very interesting historical and theological analysis of wine. I would have appreciated this more if I didn’t read it (1) during the end of the semester (2) while attending a virtual conference (3) and preparing to write a new class

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

More then I wanted it know but thoroughly researched.

[Reagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you would like to learn more about vineyards look no further than this wonderful compilation of information and insight.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating connections to a life of faith in Jesus Christ, new appreciation for the good and gracious gifts of God, and a reason to be more thoughtful about wine and where it comes from.

[Trent Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful work of nonfiction. In vino veritas

[Phil Aud · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you get when you mix a theologian and a woman who is from a long line of vintner’s? A very fascinating book. Gisela Kreglinger’s book is a carefully researched and detailed account of wine’s role in scripture, culture, and the church. I really can’t imagine the research that went into this book as it is a wealth of historical knowledge. Kreglinger begins by exploring wine through both the First and New Testament. She then moves through history exploring people like Cyprian, Irenaeus, and Celment of Alexandria. After that we are given a historical tour of the monastic communities and come to understand their immense contribution to the world of wine. Closer to our times we are given a glimpse into the thought’s of Martin Luther, Wesley, Calvin, and then in America people like John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, and Thomas Welch. The point of all of this? To understand the churches historical thoughts on wine.

Of course, Kreglinger is also a theologian. No book on the spirituality of wine would be complete without a robust chapter on the Eucharist. Kreglinger gives us two (ch.’s 3 & 4). She further explores important topics such as place and terrain in Chapter 5. In all of this you walk away from reading with a deep sense of awe for God’s creation and for scripture.

The second section of the book brings the wisdom of several vintner’s who offer theological reflections from their work. I remember touring a vineyard in Napa Valley and walking away with new understand of Jesus’ metaphor about the Vine and the branches. This section will have a similar impact on most readers. This section also explores the way that technology has impacted viticulture, as it has agriculture. Caring vintner’s, we learn, can teach us a thing or two about our interaction with technology.

There is a fantastic chapter on the health benefits of wine which is also well researched. Following this there is a chapter on the danger’s of alcohol abuse (ch. 9). I am grateful to the author for her careful treatment of this topic. While the author clearly believes that wine should not prohibited, she also plainly notes that drunkenness is clearly spoken of throughout scripture (she mentions many examples) and continues to remains a problem in our own time. In fact, she has been writing about this throughout the book. In her previous chapter on health benefits, for example, she mentions that while those who drink red wine in moderation have a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who don’t, she also writes that “Heavy drinking and binge drinking, on the other hand, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke” (p. 177). This book does not seem like the author’s attempt to stand on a soapbox but is rather a careful and fair treatment of the topic at hand. (It should be noted that the book is specifically about wine and not alcohol in general. One comes to understand that the author believes that cheap beverages with high alcohol content contributes to the problem of alcohol abuse). The final section (ch. 10) is filled with wonderful theological and pastoral wisdom. I found the writing on “pruning” and soil care particularly meaningful.

I am a part of a tradition (Assemblies of God) that prohibits it’s ministers – I am one – from drinking wine. What made me read this book? For starters, I have been very interested in recent years in the study of the theology of food. Norman Wirzba, who endorsed this book, peaked my interest a few years back with his masterful “Food and Faith.” Since then I have been interested in this field of study and have been reading along these lines, though with the topic of food (not drink) in particular. A few years prior to Wirzba’s work I had heard a few sermons on the correlation between the eschaton and wine which were eye opening. When I saw that this work was being released I was thankful that there was an entire book being dedicated to the topic. After having read it, I am hopeful that a book like this can also help to shape some of our fellowship's future discussions regarding wine. Discussions “for” or “against” are frequently based in emotion as opposed to scripture and church history. My hope is that Kreglinger’s work can help facilitate fruitful reflection, conversation, and further study. I will end this review with a quote from the last page of this great book’s conclusion:

“Wine in the Lord’s Supper will always remind us that Christ is the choice wine that God poured our for the life of the world. He is the noble grape that was crushed in the divine winepress so that the world might be reconciled with God and receive everlasting life.” (p. 220).

[M Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful and thought-provoking book, I've already gifted two couples of my acquaintance who are winemakers with their own copies. Gisela Kreglinger is uniquely qualified to write this book having grown up in the German vineyards from which her family has made wine for several generations and having studied theology at the graduate level. The book is written in two parts: part one, a survey of the Biblical witness on wine; and, part two, the observations of current winemakers, both Old World and New, on how their work informs their spirituality and vice-versa. It is primarily for this second part that I sent the book on to my winemaking friends. Part one is solidly written but may be either old news or of less interest to readers, depending on their own attitudes toward the Bible. Part two, however, is mostly original research by Kreglinger and I found it fascinating.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read with alot of history of wine making, cultural norms throughout the centuries in Europe and US. Very encouraging to understand the spiritual traditions of wine both within and outside of scripture. Only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because I thought it was a bit too detailed for me in places.

[Norbert Haukenfrers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I can't believe wasn't written years ago. Filled with biblical understanding, scientific research, agricultural insight and the joys and challenges of wine. In short, if you are wondering if wine has a role to play in faithful Christian living, or just merely enjoy a great glass of wine read The Spirituality of Wine. You may be surprised, I was.

[Donald Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. So much relevant data and emphasis on creation theology. It is a good corrective to what may be regarded as a docetic spirituality in Christianity. I plan on writing a detailed review of this book. In the meantime, consider this an enthusiastic endorsement of Dr. Kreglinger's work.

[April Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

repetitive, yet insightful

[Glenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was kinda weak sauce. but a fun reason to drink sauce.