The Greeks and Romans also gave wine a place in their religious beliefs. The Greek god Dionysus, was thought to promote vegetation and fruitfulness. Wine was said to be a gift to the people from him, and one of his festivals held in late December was for the celebration of the new wine of the vintage. The Romans continued this practice with their god Bacchus. Their devotion to Bacchus led to the development of wine making techniques that continued to be unequaled until the 17th century.
Wine plays a major role in the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian cultures.
In Jewish ritual, each sabbath begins with a blessing chanted over a cup of wine which the whole family then shares. Specific amounts of wine must also be drunk at Passover, weddings and circumcisions. Although wine is a strong component of the Jewish faith, the Dionysian idea that intoxication is a higher state of consciousness is rejected. The rise of the Islamic Empire halted the production of wine. Since the consumption of alcohol was prohibited by the Islamic code of law and theology, the development of wine making was almost stopped in a geographic area that stretched from northern India to Spain.