Communion wine?

[Eli4n4]

Natural grape wine with no additives - it may be white or red. before VII it was usual to have white wine because it did not stain.

Thank you. Can I ask where this is written?

 

[johnnykins]

GIRM inter alia

christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/girmch6.html

1. 1. The wine for the eucharist must be from the fruit of the vine
      (see Lk 22:18), natural, and pure, that is not mixed with any foreign
      substance.
2. Care must be taken to ensure that the elements are kept in good
   condition: that the wine does not turn to vinegar or the bread spoil
   or become too hard to be broken easily.

 

[bilop]

The wine also must have a certain minimum and maximum alcohol content.

There are producers of special sacramental wine that comes so labeled.

It can also be rosee, in addition to red or white. Few Churches use Red, in my experience, b/c it would stain the altar cloths. Most use rosee.

God Bless

 

[Cluny]

Fortified wines, such as port and champagne are not permitted, as they are not pure grape wine, but have additives.

 

[FrDavid96]

What many Catholics don’t realize (because they’ve simply never thought about it) is that the vast majority of wines commercially available are potentially suitable as altar wine. There is nothing special that makes a wine an altar wine. As long as it meets the requirements that people here have already stated, it’s perfectly valid and licit.

The label “altar wine” simply means that a competent authority in the Church, usually the bishop of the diocese where the wine is produced, has certified that this wine is made in accord with the requirements of the Church. As a practical matter, priests should only be using wine with this certification because it is the only sure way of knowing that it is both valid and licit.

Altar wine can be any color, so long as it’s the natural color of that variety, so red or white or blush makes no difference. This is just a matter of preference.

 

[Aramis]

Thank you. Can I ask where this is written?

Code of Canon Law (for the Roman Church).
Art. 3.

THE RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION

Can. 924 §1. The most holy eucharistic sacrifice must be offered with bread and with wine in which a little water must be mixed.

§2. The bread must be only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.

§3. The wine must be natural from the fruit of the vine and not spoiled.

Can. 925 Holy communion is to be given under the form of bread alone, or under both species according to the norm of the liturgical laws, or even under the form of wine alone in a case of necessity.

Can. 926 According to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, the priest is to use unleavened bread in the eucharistic celebration whenever he offers it.
vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3A.HTM

The only more definitive statement is the latin version of the Code of Canon Law, from which the other languages were translated.

 

[Muzhik]

For an early morning Christmas Mass a few years ago I placed the chalices in the refrigerator the night before.

When preparing for Mass that AM I substituted the contents of a couple of WELL chilled bottles of a good vintage of Pouilly-Fuissé for our sacramental box wine.

I could actually see big smiles on peoples’ faces as they received the Precious Blood. Many said the difference reminded them just how special of a day Christ’s birthday is.

Those sorta things are fun to do…

It may be fun, BUT, it may also be sacramentally invalid. I’ve been doing a little research on this, both to find a way to “buy locally” and because the idea has crossed my mind to undertake wine making (vintnering?) as a hobby to produce my parish’s communion wine at home.

As noted earlier, the rubrics state that the wine “must be natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances.” In other words, it can’t have any sugar added to it – a frequent addition to wine to make it sweeter. Wine is made when the yeast in the juice converts the sugar in the juice to alcohol. When the wine is between 12 and13% alcohol, the yeast will stop fermenting naturally, but the yeast will still be alive in the wine. The yeast in the wine must be killed somehow. Traditionally, that was done by cooking the wine to about 165F; however, that can alter the taste of the wine. The common procedure now is to add sulfites to kill the yeast (which is why every wine you see on the shelf will tell you “contains sulfites”); however, adding the sulfite means the wine is “mixed with other substances” and so can’t be used for the Eucharist. (That’s why the wine you substituted may have tasted better, but it probably invalidated the sacrament.)

It’s also noted that the wine must be “well-preserved and not soured.” Most people don’t think about soured wine anymore because about every wine you buy at the store has preservatives added. Again, adding preservatives is mixing substances, so wines with preservatives added can’t be used for the Eucharist.

This is why there are wineries that specialize in making Catholic sacramental wines, and they don’t sell to the public. It’s also why the rubrics tell you to make sure of the wine’s provenance, to ensure that all the requirements are followed: just because a preservative isn’t listed on the wine label doesn’t mean it wasn’t added at some point.

I’m going to write the diocese re: homemade wine and see what they say.

 

[Muzhik]

What many Catholics don’t realize (because they’ve simply never thought about it) is that the vast majority of wines commercially available are potentially suitable as altar wine. There is nothing special that makes a wine an altar wine. As long as it meets the requirements that people here have already stated, it’s perfectly valid and licit.

The label “altar wine” simply means that a competent authority in the Church, usually the bishop of the diocese where the wine is produced, has certified that this wine is made in accord with the requirements of the Church. As a practical matter, priests should only be using wine with this certification because it is the only sure way of knowing that it is both valid and licit.

Altar wine can be any color, so long as it’s the natural color of that variety, so red or white or blush makes no difference. This is just a matter of preference.

I would beg to differ: The rubrics state that wine “must be natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances.” In other words, it can’t have any sugar added to it – a frequent addition to wine to make it sweeter. It also must be 100% grape wine, without any flavorings or other wines (such as strawberry or black currant wine) blended in.

Wine is made when the yeast in the juice converts the sugar in the juice to alcohol. When the wine is between 12 and13% alcohol, the yeast will stop fermenting naturally, but the yeast will still be alive in the wine. The yeast in the wine must be killed somehow. Traditionally, that was done by cooking the wine to about 165F; however, that can alter the taste of the wine. The common procedure now is to add sulfites to kill the yeast (which is why every wine you see on the shelf will tell you “contains sulfites”); however, adding the sulfite means the wine is “mixed with other substances” and so can’t be used for the Eucharist.

It’s also noted that the wine must be “well-preserved and not soured.” Most people don’t think about soured wine anymore because about every wine you buy at the store has preservatives added. Again, adding preservatives is mixing substances, so wines with preservatives added can’t be used for the Eucharist.

This is why there are wineries that specialize in making Catholic sacramental wines, and they don’t sell to the public. It’s also why the rubrics tell you to make sure of the wine’s provenance, to ensure that all the requirements are followed: just because a preservative isn’t listed on the wine label doesn’t mean it wasn’t added at some point.

I found out about this because I’m thinking of doing wine making as a hobby and wanted to make the wine for my parish. The wine can be no more than 12% alcohol; I don’t know what the minimum amount of alcohol is required but I believe it is 7%, so that the substance is indeed wine and not “strong juice”. The Latin Rite doesn’t care about the color of the wine, so long as all the other rubrics are followed. The Russian Orthodox, on the other hand, require that the wine be a deep, almost blood red, if possible.

 

[Aramis]

Mustum (barely fermented almost non-alcoholic wine) is permitted as an accommodation for alcoholic clerics.

 

[Muzhik]

correction: I had stated that “adding the sulfite means the wine is “mixed with other substances” and so can’t be used for the Eucharist.” However, since writing that I have found at least one producer of altar wine who notes on the label that their wine “contains sulfites.” I am trying to clarify the issue and will write back when I’ve found someone who actually knows about this.

 

[Phemie]

correction: I had stated that “adding the sulfite means the wine is “mixed with other substances” and so can’t be used for the Eucharist.” However, since writing that I have found at least one producer of altar wine who notes on the label that their wine “contains sulfites.” I am trying to clarify the issue and will write back when I’ve found someone who actually knows about this.

That’s because sulfites occur naturally on the grapes and wines contain a certain amount even when the vintner hasn’t added any. To be truly ‘sulfite free’ a wine must contain less than 10 ppm.

The warning “Contains sulfites” is for the benefit of those who are allergic or get migraines from the compound.

 

[FrDavid96]

I would beg to differ: The rubrics state that wine “must be natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances.” In other words, it can’t have any sugar added to it – a frequent addition to wine to make it sweeter. It also must be 100% grape wine, without any flavorings or other wines (such as strawberry or black currant wine) blended in.

Wine is made when the yeast in the juice converts the sugar in the juice to alcohol. When the wine is between 12 and13% alcohol, the yeast will stop fermenting naturally, but the yeast will still be alive in the wine. The yeast in the wine must be killed somehow. Traditionally, that was done by cooking the wine to about 165F; however, that can alter the taste of the wine. The common procedure now is to add sulfites to kill the yeast (which is why every wine you see on the shelf will tell you “contains sulfites”); however, adding the sulfite means the wine is “mixed with other substances” and so can’t be used for the Eucharist.

It’s also noted that the wine must be “well-preserved and not soured.” Most people don’t think about soured wine anymore because about every wine you buy at the store has preservatives added. Again, adding preservatives is mixing substances, so wines with preservatives added can’t be used for the Eucharist.

This is why there are wineries that specialize in making Catholic sacramental wines, and they don’t sell to the public. It’s also why the rubrics tell you to make sure of the wine’s provenance, to ensure that all the requirements are followed: just because a preservative isn’t listed on the wine label doesn’t mean it wasn’t added at some point.

I found out about this because I’m thinking of doing wine making as a hobby and wanted to make the wine for my parish. The wine can be no more than 12% alcohol; I don’t know what the minimum amount of alcohol is required but I believe it is 7%, so that the substance is indeed wine and not “strong juice”. The Latin Rite doesn’t care about the color of the wine, so long as all the other rubrics are followed. The Russian Orthodox, on the other hand, require that the wine be a deep, almost blood red, if possible.

Ok. You beg to differ. With what?
What did you see in my post that you quoted that says anything other than what the Church says?

And yes, a minimal amount of preservatives (sulfites) may be added.

 

[Muzhik]

What I was differing with was your statement,

What many Catholics don’t realize (because they’ve simply never thought about it) is that the vast majority of wines commercially available are potentially suitable as altar wine. There is nothing special that makes a wine an altar wine. As long as it meets the requirements that people here have already stated, it’s perfectly valid and licit.

I think the key phrase here is “**potentially **suitable.” I apologize for the confusion on the sulfites. I was unaware of their natural occurrence on the grape, and the only Church documents I could find on making Eucharistic wine were very clear that **nothing **was to be added to the wine. The only exception is grape brandy or alcohol made from grapes, and then it was only to preserve and fortify weak or damaged wines. I could not find any church documents that mention sulfites. When I learned that sulfites are frequently added to wine to stop the fermentation process, my interpretation was that the addition of sulfites was “mixing of different substances” and so invalidated the use of the wine for the Eucharist.

However, winemakers are not required to note on the label or on their web sites different things that, while they do make the wine more flavorful and excellent table wines, would make them unsuited for the Holy Eucharist.

For example, when a wine description notes that it has “highlights of peach and apple”, does that mean that small amounts of peach and apple flavorings or juices were added to the wine (which would make them unsuitable for altar wine) or is that a characteristic of the particular grapes used? If a wine is described as “sweet”, is it sweet because the fermentation was stopped before all the sugar was converted to alcohol, because it used late-harvest grapes (which contain more sugar), or because sugar was added during the wine-making process? The first two items would not invalidate it’s use as an altar wine, the third (adding sugar) would. Or has the wine been blended so that one wine that would be suitable for altar wine is mixed with one that is not suitable, making the resulting wine unsuitable for sacramental use?

These questions are why the rubrics state that the provenance of the wine must be assured, so that there is no question as to the suitability of the wine’s use for Holy Communion. Is the manufacture’s assurance on the label (such as on Carlo Rossi’s Burgundy wine) that it is “100% Grape Wine” sufficient assurance that there are no invalidating additions? Could we use Manischewitz’s Concord Grape wine that is labeled “Kosher for Passover”? The requirements for kosher wine have more to do with making sure the wine has not been handled by goyim than with the wine ingredients themselves. The yeast used for fermentation must be grown on sugar or fruit rather than on starches like potatoes or wheat; I am trying to learn if kosher wine can have added sugar.

When I was in college, I was one of the volunteers who made the altar bread for the Catholic Student Center. We used a recipe that produced a very tasty bread that I sometimes made and served at dinner parties. Now, these many years later, I discovered that the bread I made using that recipe was an invalid bread to use for the Eucharist: the bread contained both honey and baking soda (leavening), instead of just flour and water. All those years where I received Communion with this bread, sometimes daily because I wanted the extra spiritual strength, only to find out that all those Masses used bread invalid for the Eucharist. It was a liturgical abuse that I helped commit (albeit unknowingly).

So the thought of someone substituting the “house wine” with something more flavorful, or simply going to the wine section of their local store and pulling out a bottle of “Barn Door Red” wine because it’s from a local winery without considering whether or not it meets the requirements for sacramental wine, is very disturbing to me. Because of the flooding in my area last year, I am very interested in learning what elements CAN be legitimately substituted in case of emergency. For example, can matzho be used for altar bread? But I want these elements to be legitimate, so that the resulting Eucharist is both licit and valid.

 

[malphono]

And yes, a minimal amount of preservatives (sulfites) may be added.

There’s one common additive to wine that seem to have been overlooked in this thread: sugar. Most wines have at least a small amount of sugar added to help in the fermentation process. Yeast, whether naturally occurring or added, is essential to the fermentation process, and sugar (again, whether naturally occurring or added) seems to be yeast’s favorite food.

Some years back, I visited a local winery that had gotten it’s start in the early 19th century making altar win, and continued to do so. The winemakers were very clear that altar wine contains no added sugar. (Those altar wines that are sweet, e.g., angelica (which I presonally can’t stand), come from grapes that are naturally sweet.) That was in the days before the “sulfite labeling” laws, but if I recall correctly, they said that there were “no additives,” which I presume meant sulfites as well as sugar.

Just my :twocents:

 

[Muzhik]

There’s one common additive to wine that seem to have been overlooked in this thread: sugar. Most wines have at least a small amount of sugar added to help in the fermentation process. Yeast, whether naturally occurring or added, is essential to the fermentation process, and sugar (again, whether naturally occurring or added) seems to be yeast’s favorite food.

Sugar is the most common additive that invalidates a wine being used for altar wine. In my research, I came across a source that stated in some locations (California was specifically listed) local laws prohibit the addition of sugar when making wine because the grapes in the area are naturally sweet.

 

[FrDavid96]

What I was differing with was your statement,

I think the key phrase here is “**potentially **suitable.” I apologize for the confusion on the sulfites. I was unaware of their natural occurrence on the grape, and the only Church documents I could find on making Eucharistic wine were very clear that **nothing **was to be added to the wine. The only exception is grape brandy or alcohol made from grapes, and then it was only to preserve and fortify weak or damaged wines. I could not find any church documents that mention sulfites. When I learned that sulfites are frequently added to wine to stop the fermentation process, my interpretation was that the addition of sulfites was “mixing of different substances” and so invalidated the use of the wine for the Eucharist.

However, winemakers are not required to note on the label or on their web sites different things that, while they do make the wine more flavorful and excellent table wines, would make them unsuited for the Holy Eucharist.

For example, when a wine description notes that it has “highlights of peach and apple”, does that mean that small amounts of peach and apple flavorings or juices were added to the wine (which would make them unsuitable for altar wine) or is that a characteristic of the particular grapes used? If a wine is described as “sweet”, is it sweet because the fermentation was stopped before all the sugar was converted to alcohol, because it used late-harvest grapes (which contain more sugar), or because sugar was added during the wine-making process? The first two items would not invalidate it’s use as an altar wine, the third (adding sugar) would. Or has the wine been blended so that one wine that would be suitable for altar wine is mixed with one that is not suitable, making the resulting wine unsuitable for sacramental use?

These questions are why the rubrics state that the provenance of the wine must be assured, so that there is no question as to the suitability of the wine’s use for Holy Communion. Is the manufacture’s assurance on the label (such as on Carlo Rossi’s Burgundy wine) that it is “100% Grape Wine” sufficient assurance that there are no invalidating additions? Could we use Manischewitz’s Concord Grape wine that is labeled “Kosher for Passover”? The requirements for kosher wine have more to do with making sure the wine has not been handled by goyim than with the wine ingredients themselves. The yeast used for fermentation must be grown on sugar or fruit rather than on starches like potatoes or wheat; I am trying to learn if kosher wine can have added sugar.

When I was in college, I was one of the volunteers who made the altar bread for the Catholic Student Center. We used a recipe that produced a very tasty bread that I sometimes made and served at dinner parties. Now, these many years later, I discovered that the bread I made using that recipe was an invalid bread to use for the Eucharist: the bread contained both honey and baking soda (leavening), instead of just flour and water. All those years where I received Communion with this bread, sometimes daily because I wanted the extra spiritual strength, only to find out that all those Masses used bread invalid for the Eucharist. It was a liturgical abuse that I helped commit (albeit unknowingly).

So the thought of someone substituting the “house wine” with something more flavorful, or simply going to the wine section of their local store and pulling out a bottle of “Barn Door Red” wine because it’s from a local winery without considering whether or not it meets the requirements for sacramental wine, is very disturbing to me. Because of the flooding in my area last year, I am very interested in learning what elements CAN be legitimately substituted in case of emergency. For example, can matzho be used for altar bread? But I want these elements to be legitimate, so that the resulting Eucharist is both licit and valid.

And that’s why I wrote in my post:
The label “altar wine” simply means that a competent authority in the Church, usually the bishop of the diocese where the wine is produced, has certified that this wine is made in accord with the requirements of the Church. As a practical matter, priests should only be using wine with this certification because it is the only sure way of knowing that it is both valid and licit

 

[FrDavid96]

There’s one common additive to wine that seem to have been overlooked in this thread: sugar. Most wines have at least a small amount of sugar added to help in the fermentation process. Yeast, whether naturally occurring or added, is essential to the fermentation process, and sugar (again, whether naturally occurring or added) seems to be yeast’s favorite food.

Some years back, I visited a local winery that had gotten it’s start in the early 19th century making altar win, and continued to do so. The winemakers were very clear that altar wine contains no added sugar. (Those altar wines that are sweet, e.g., angelica (which I presonally can’t stand), come from grapes that are naturally sweet.) That was in the days before the “sulfite labeling” laws, but if I recall correctly, they said that there were “no additives,” which I presume meant sulfites as well as sugar.

Just my :twocents:

I believe this is the wine you mean:
onehda.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=4&=SID#MOREINFO

A close look at the label shows that it does contain sulfites.

Almost all modern wines contain at least a small amount of sulfites as a preservative.

“No additives” actually means no fruit juice or other flavorings. That’s why they can say “100% pure grape wine” at the vineyard that makes Angelica.

A minimal amount of preservatives is permitted by the Church. If I get a chance, I’ll look it up and cite a source, if that would help to ease your mind, unless someone else posts it in the meantime.

I’ve always had a certain “interest” in altar wines, and I make it a point of looking at the wines when I visit other churches–always on the lookout to try something new. Every certified altar wine I’ve ever seen has had sulfites.

 

[Muzhik]

And that’s why I wrote in my post:
The label “altar wine” simply means that a competent authority in the Church, usually the bishop of the diocese where the wine is produced, has certified that this wine is made in accord with the requirements of the Church. As a practical matter, priests should only be using wine with this certification because it is the only sure way of knowing that it is both valid and licit

My thanks for your patience in answering my questions and concerns. I just joined my parish’s Emergency/Disaster Planning Committee (said committee consisting of only one person – myself). I usually do very well in disasters because I’m always thinking of the Worst Case Scenario. After planning for the absolute worst that can happen, that’s when you start modifying the plan to account for, say, a fire instead of a tornado. That way you’re not saying something like, well, we planned what to do if fire damaged the bedroom, but not what to do if the whole house burned down.

My absolute worst case scenario for my area is where all the churches in the area (both in my city and in the surrounding rural parishes) have been damaged, destroyed, or otherwise cut off. Both the church buildings and the rectories were affected, meaning anything that was stored in either of those buildings is unavailable. This would include any and all unconsecrated hosts and altar wine. (For the sake of this exercise I’m assuming the disaster struck while Father was on his way to offer mass at the nursing home, so he has alb, stole, etc. available as well as his mass kit; however, there’s only about one ounce of wine and maybe 6 hosts available.) The local grocery store is open, but without power it’s cash only and don’t expect change. (Can’t open the electronic cash registers without electricity – or if they can, they don’t want to for security’s sake.) Question: can you use the undamaged, unopened box of kosher-for-passover matzos you found in aisle 5 and the bottle of 100% grape wine from aisle 12 in order to offer the Eucharist? Or should I go ahead and buy that wine-making kit I saw at the liquor store this weekend?

(Every priest I’ve asked this question to has dodged the question by saying something like, “Well, we’ll wait until St. Anne’s up the road can bring us some more,” ignoring the fact that St. Anne’s may well be dealing with their own disaster, and even if they weren’t the combination of downed power lines and damaged roads means NO ONE from St. Anne’s will be coming here anytime soon. Do *you *have an answer?)

 

[FrDavid96]

My thanks for your patience in answering my questions and concerns. I just joined my parish’s Emergency/Disaster Planning Committee (said committee consisting of only one person – myself). I usually do very well in disasters because I’m always thinking of the Worst Case Scenario. After planning for the absolute worst that can happen, that’s when you start modifying the plan to account for, say, a fire instead of a tornado. That way you’re not saying something like, well, we planned what to do if fire damaged the bedroom, but not what to do if the whole house burned down.

My absolute worst case scenario for my area is where all the churches in the area (both in my city and in the surrounding rural parishes) have been damaged, destroyed, or otherwise cut off. Both the church buildings and the rectories were affected, meaning anything that was stored in either of those buildings is unavailable. This would include any and all unconsecrated hosts and altar wine. (For the sake of this exercise I’m assuming the disaster struck while Father was on his way to offer mass at the nursing home, so he has alb, stole, etc. available as well as his mass kit; however, there’s only about one ounce of wine and maybe 6 hosts available.) The local grocery store is open, but without power it’s cash only and don’t expect change. (Can’t open the electronic cash registers without electricity – or if they can, they don’t want to for security’s sake.) Question: can you use the undamaged, unopened box of kosher-for-passover matzos you found in aisle 5 and the bottle of 100% grape wine from aisle 12 in order to offer the Eucharist? Or should I go ahead and buy that wine-making kit I saw at the liquor store this weekend?

… Do *you *have an answer?)

Well, I can offer some suggestions:

Matzos are out. They have salt, and possibly some kind of vegetable oil. I would not trust matzos for Communion. I would however suggest some hosts in the factor-sealed plastic containers. Not the re-packaged ones, but the ones packed as soon as possible after baking, and not the ones in the celophane sleeves. The ones in the plastic containers with factory sealed foil last quite some time. I once found an old one that I had packed at my last move. It was 2+ years old. While I would never have used it at a Mass, I did try them and did not notice any difference between those and the new ones.

Wine will likewise stay fresh for quite some time. An unopened bottle of altar wine will usually last at least a year. Store sideways as this helps to keep the seal. I would not use wine older than a year. Remember that you only need enough wine for the priest celebrating the Mass, so a little goes a long way. If you reach the point where you need more than say 3 bottles, it’s the end of civilization.

Rotate out your emergency supplies every so often–maybe every 3 months. Just like you should batteries. Too many people have their “emergency kit” from way back when, and think that because they’ve packed it, they’re done.

Just for the sake of discussion, in a true emergency, if you realy had no other option, getting a bottle of wine from the grocer (assuming they even have them left) and doing your best to pick one that comes close to being approved (no fruit juices, no sugars, etc) would be acceptable. Most wines realy would work. It’s not that these are against the requirements, it’s simply a matter of the fact that they haven’t been approved. In theory, they might be if they ever contacted the bishop and just asked.

Many of the altar wines out there have a commercial counterpart. One batch of wine is made and bottled. Some bottles get labels that say “altar wine” others get labels that don’t. It’s the same wine inside. If you really are that concerned, take a trip to the grocer, look at what they typically keep well-stocked. If you do a little research, you just MIGHT find that some of that wine on the shelf has already been approved, but it simply isn’t labeled.

I had an experience years ago when I used to visit a local winery. After a few years, I casually mentioned to the clerk that I liked their wine, and was disappointed that I couldn’t use it at the altar. Well, glad I said that. The clerk produced a letter from the local bishop certifying most of their wines for use at the altar. (I later contacted the diocese and they were kind enough to mail me a copy of the letter.) The bishop required that the words “certified for use in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by bishop X of X” (or something like that) be printed on the bottle. The winery had a stack of address-type labels that they affixed to the bottles for me and I walked out with a new supply of altar wine. A little more research revealed that the same applied to other local wineries.

Homemade wine will take quite some time, and I don’t think that’s a practical solution. It takes at least a month to make and that’s assuming you even have the grapes. Again, keep in mind that bottled wine will last about a year. I posted a reference to a winery a few messages back, and purely by coincidence, I got an ad from them yesterday. They’re having a sale and asking parishes to consider buying a 1-year supply at a discount. I’m sure they wouldn’t make that suggestion if they thought their wine wouldn not last that long–they’re a very reputable source.

You might want to have more than one “church emergency kit” around the parish. If you’re preparing for the possibility that the church building will be destroyed, put a few of these kits in different people’s houses.

And don’t forget to pack the emergency supply of offering envelopes.

 

[FrDavid96]

Here’s a link to some FAQs on altar wine

montlasallealtarwines.com/faq.php