Easter is fairly early this year — it is a movable celebration that falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox — this is called the Paschall Full Moon (How is Easter determined?). (If the Full Moon is on a Sunday then Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday.)
Easter is, among other things, a Christian festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are told that Jesus of Nazareth was, himself, raised in a Jewish culture, and thus his association with wine was presumably that of a regular adult member of his place and time.
Wine therefore makes regular appearances in the Bible, at many events associated with Jesus. Indeed, his first reported miracle was turning water into wine, at the wedding at Cana in Galilee (Gospel of John 2:1-11).
I learned much of this because my father was a Methodist minister (in what was then the Methodist Church of Australasia) at the time of my birth (it is now part of the Uniting Church in Australia). * He continued in this role for some time afterwards (as also did his younger brother); but he eventually discovered, during my teenage years, that he was a much better computer programmer than a minister.
Easter Sunday is one of the most festive events among Christians; and, as suggested above, wine is commonly a part of those festivities. However, there are many references in the Scripture warning against drinking too much wine (eg. Proverbs 20:1, Isaiah 5:11), so we can conclude that excess intoxication is certainly a sin and should thus be avoided. Consequently, many people conclude that it is better to be safe than sorry, and stay away from alcohol altogether.
However, the latter is one of the two possible opposite interpretations. We can also go the other way, and ask relevant Easter questions like: Did Jesus drink wine at the Last Supper? ** As a Passover meal, it is likely that they would have drunk fresh grape juice if they had it (Last Supper: What wine was served at Jesus and the Apostles' final meal?). Along with the unleavened bread (ie. without yeast), they could have also have had unleavened drink (ie. without yeast). The question then would be where would they find fresh juice, with no refrigeration and the harvest being over for 6—7 months? Wine could be made with as little as 0—3% alcohol content, so perhaps this is the wine that was used. ***
I will finish with a comment more typical of this blog, which is about data not religion. Naturally, scientists are also interested in the topic of wine and the ancient world. As an example, you can read about one especially intriguing approach with the cheeky title: Could we soon drink the same wine as Jesus? DNA from ancient seeds is being used to resurrect 2,000-year-old drinks. ****
In the meantime, I hope that you have been enjoying your 2024 Easter, with or without suitable wine. *****
* The current President’s 2024 Easter message can be heard in this video.
** According to all four Gospels, the Last Supper was Jesus’ last meal with his disciples during the Passover week, before he was crucified on what is now called Good Friday (or Långfredagen in Swedish).
*** By way of contrast, see also: Low- and no-alcohol wines really do need to be the way of the future.
**** The oldest known evidence of wine-making dates back 6,000 years, in what are now Georgia and Armenia.
***** On Easter Saturday (Påskafton in Swedish), my wife, her sister, and I tasted: three small beers (Slottskällan Easter Dark Lager, Wisby Påsk, Nääs Påsköl), a red dinner wine (Vasse Felix Cabernet sauvignon 2012), and a small sweet white wine (Gardo & Morris Noble Riesling 2017). They were all excellent.
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