I've Heard of Trappist Ale, But...

Have you heard of Trappist wine? I have, because my brother is a brother at the Abbey of New Clairvaux. The monks there recently started their own vineyard and began bottling operations last year. Finally, they got their website set up. The Trappists are a Norman offshoot of the Cistercian interpretation of the rule of St. Benedict,. In keeping with that tradition and, serendipitously, similar climate of the original Abbey of Clairvaux in Ovila, Spain, all the grapes are of Spanish stock. I highly recommend the petite sirah. If you go to their info page, my brother is the one on the left. For the informal tour of the winery, go to my earlier post here. The abbey has some pretty rich history for only being 50 years old, but that's because of the structures found on Leland Stanford's old ranch. For more information on the Trappist Order, visit the Abbey's site, and pick up any book by Thomas Merton.