For the church movement, see Association of Vineyard Churches. For the suburb in Sydney, Australia, see Vineyard, New South Wales.
A vineyard (vignoble in French, vigna or vigneto in Italian, vinha in Portuguese, viña or viñedo in Spanish, Weinberg in German) is a place where grapes are grown for making wine, raisins, or table grapes.
According to the Old Testament ( Genesis 9:20), Noah planted a vineyard on Mt. Ararat. When Moses led the Hebrews to Canaan, they are said to have regretted leaving the wines of Egypt ( Numbers 20:5). In their new home, however, they found numerous vineyards.
The spread of Christianity and of vineyards in Western civilization occurred concurrently. St. Martin of Tours (316-397) both spread Christianity and planted vineyards.
During the instability of the Middle Ages the monasteries maintained viticulture. They had the resources, security, stability and interest in improving the quality of their vines over time. The monks also had the education and time necessary to enhance their viticulture skills. Throughout the Middle Ages, the best vineyards were owned and tended by the monasteries, and vinum theologium was considered superior to all others.
The vineyards of Europe were planted in various varieties of the Vitis viniferous grape. In the late 19th century the entire species was nearly destroyed by the plant louse called phylloxera that had somehow migrated to Europe. Native American grapes are varieties of Vitus labrusca, which is resistant to the bug. Vitus viniferous varieties were saved by being grafted onto rootstocks of Vitus labrusca. However, there is still no remedy for phylloxera, which remains a continuing threat to vineyards around much of the world.