SC - order of service of a meal

[Seton1355 at aol.com]

Greetings List,
I have been reading _Fast and Feast_ and _The Medieval Kitchen_.  I am trying 
to get a sense of how the medieval / renaissance feast is served.

In _The Medieval Kitchen_ the authors list some suggestions for serving a 
feast.  Am I correct in thinking that each course is a "little meal" sort of 
unto itself.  (I've been to several feasts and it seemed like that was the 
case)  I am having a hard time getting the 20th C model out of my head.
And:
Does a meal ALWAYS start with wine?

Thanks
Phillipa