Sacramental Wineries and recommendations

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Retreat2Grow

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Hi gang,

Blessings to all.

I run a retreat house and gift shop and have been asked to carry sacramental wines for my parishes. Here are the wineries I am aware of, please let me know your feelings towards them and their products.

I will add a disclaimer, I would strongly prefer to buy in this order;

    • Religious Orders
    • Family Run (or Small business)
    • Major suppliers (Cribari form EJ Gallo would be my last preferred)
    I am aware of;
    • Cribari (Gallo Wines)
    • Mont La Salle (Guinness PLC)
    • Guasti (Filippi Family Wineries)
    • New Clairvaux (Trappist owned)
    • San Antonio (Looks to be a small business)
    • O Neh Da (Eagle Crest Wineries, Looks to be a family owned)
    Thoughts, recommendations, opinions?
 
St. Julian in Michigan.

It’s not listed on their webpage, but they do make a specific “Altar Wine” (red) and many of their other wines are approved by the local bishop. They have special labels (just small ones) that they add to their “regular” bottles that the bishop has authorized (and required) that they attach if they’re for Sacramental use.

stjulian.com/
 
Hammer Wine. They’re by far the most widely-used here in the Columbus Diocese.
 
San Antonio Winery supplies the Cathedral in Los Angeles.
sanantoniowinery.com/products/index/search:sacramental They tend to have a warm spot for the Catholic Church, because supplying the church is what allowed them to survive Prohibition.

They’ll also make custom labels, but I don’t think they’ll put them on the Sacramental Wines, only on some varietals. You could always call and ask.
 
Rather than being so specific, maybe the best approach is that taken by the bishop of Oakland Ca. while I was living out there (Alameda).
He approved ALL Ca. grape wines as meeting the requirements of the church for altar wine.
A Benedictine Monastery in N.D. that has special wines brewed for their distribution is Richardton Abbey in Richardton, N.D. They have some very good altar wines. But I found their Burgandy a bit much–it was instant pucker-power everyday at the altar.
 
For a great many years, Brotherhood Winery in NY was an excellent source. In fact, production of altar wine was how it survived Prohibition. They had several types, including reds and whites (I don’t recall about rosé), in both bone-dry and sweeter types. All were available only to churches or clergy. However, it’s changed hands now and I’m not sure if they still produce sacramental wine.
 
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