It is a question the Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership (KCML) in Dunedin hopes to answer during its annual public lecture tomorrow.
The lecture — to be given by author, researcher, theologian and noted German wine expert Dr Gisela Kreglinger — is titled "Coming to our Senses", and will address the interface between Christian faith and everyday life practices.
The lecture will look at the place of wine and wine-making in the Christian tradition, and whether it is anything more than a symbolic item within Christian spirituality.
Dr Kreglinger said her lecture was aimed at encouraging the use of wine-tasting as a spiritual practice.
"Historically, in the West ... we have focused on hearing and seeing, but we really haven’t embraced the senses of touch, taste and smell as ways to come to understand reality and our spiritual faith, traditions, and how important it is to recover a much more holistic understanding of our lives in this world ..."
Dr Kreglinger grew up on a winery in Franconia, where her family has crafted wine for generations.
She holds a PhD in theology from St Andrews University, and in her recent book The Spirituality of Wine (2016), she has woven together her passions for Christian spirituality and the created gift of wine.
She has offered lectures, talks and tasting in restaurants, vineyards and churches in the US and the UK.
Her public lecture in Dunedin, will be held at the KCML Cameron Hall from 5.15pm to 6pm, and will be followed by The Spirituality of Wine session, which includes wine tasting, light food and reflections at the KCML Hewitson Library, from 6.15pm-7.45pm.
The lecture is free and uncapped. However, the tasting is $20 and numbers will be capped at 80.
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Wine, it was claimed, is bottled fruit, a preserve for the Winter. Noah allegedly drank it, copiously. The Mission Estate made monastery 'tonic' wine.
Altar wine for the sacrament could annoy, depending on country of origin. There was a time when Springbok and Chilean vintage were not universally acceptable.