Quick answer
This line appears inside Jotham’s parable and uses blessing-side language. It shows that biblical wine vocabulary can stand in a positive register, which is exactly why context and classification matter.
Judges 9:13 (KJV)
“And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?”
In the broader wine survey, this passage belongs on the blessing side.
How this verse fits the larger discussion
Not every biblical wine text stands on the warning side. Some are attached to fruitfulness, provision, harvest, or sacrificial language. That is exactly why the definition question matters and why readers should not flatten every wine text into one modern alcoholic meaning.
Read this verse with Wine in the Bible, Two wines in the Bible, and How is wine defined in the Bible?.
Read it with other texts
Blessing-side passages do not erase warning-side passages, and warning-side passages do not erase blessing-side passages. The point is to read both streams honestly.
Frequently asked questions
Does this verse by itself prove that Jesus made alcohol?
No. A parable line about vine fruitfulness does not settle the Cana question or erase the warning texts.
Why leave the word “wine” visible here?
Because readers need to see that the term can point toward blessing in some contexts. That is part of the argument, not a problem to hide.