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Denominational teachings |
Sacramental wine,Communion wine,altar wine, orwine for consecration iswine obtained from grapes and intended for use in celebration of theEucharist (also referred to as the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion, among other names) and theblood of Christ. It is usually consumed aftersacramental bread (the body of Christ).
Wine was used in the earliest celebrations of theLord's Supper.Paul the Apostle writes in 1 Corinthians 10:16:[1]
The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord? For we, being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread.[2]
In theEarly Church, bothclergy andlaity received theconsecrated wine by drinking from thechalice, after receiving a portion of the consecrated bread. Due to many factors, including the difficulty of obtaining wine inNorthern European countries (where the climate was unsuitable forviticulture), drinking from the chalice became largely restricted in the West to the celebrating priest, while others received communion only in the form of bread. This also reduced the symbolic importance of choosing wine of red color.[3] The twentieth century—especially after theSecond Vatican Council—saw a return to more widespread sharing in the Eucharist under the forms of both bread and wine in the Latin Catholic Church.
In theProtestant churches, the use of wine (or grape juice in some denominations) is obligatory in the celebration of Holy Communion. However for most Protestants, a person receiving communion makes a valid communion even if they receive only in one kind (i.e., either just the bread or just the wine). For example, a sick person who can only take liquids makes a valid communion by receiving the wine.
In theEastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic churches, the clergy continued to receive the consecrated wine by drinking directly from the chalice, but in order to avoid the danger of accidentally spilling some of theBlood of Christ the practice was developed of placing the consecratedBody of Christ in the chalice and administeringHoly Communion to the faithful, under both species with asacramental spoon.
The majority of liturgical churches, such as theCatholic Church andEastern Orthodox Church, require that sacramental wine should be pure grape wine; the use of pure grape wine is normative in theLutheran Churches.[4] Other Christian churches, such as someMethodist Churches, disapprove of the consumption ofalcohol, and substitute grape juice for wine (seeChristian views on alcohol).[5]
InEastern Christianity, sacramental wine is usually red, to better symbolize its change from wine into the blood of Jesus Christ, as is believed to happen at the Eucharist. In theEastern Orthodox Church, for example, sacramental wine used in theDivine Liturgy must usually be fermented pure sweet red grape wine. TheGreek Orthodox Church favours the use ofMavrodaphne orNama, while theRussian Orthodox Church favoursKagor. Wines with additives, such asretsina andhigh fructose corn syrup, are not allowed. InWestern Christianity, white wine is also sometimes used for the practical purpose of avoiding stains on the altar cloths.[3]
In mostliturgical rites, such as theRoman,Byzantine,Antiochene, andAlexandrian, a small quantity of water is added to the wine when thechalice is prepared, while in theArmenian Rite the wine is consecrated without the previous mingling of water. In theByzantine Rite some hot water, referred to as thezeon (Greek: "boiling"), is added to the consecrated wine shortly before the Communion. Originally common practice in the ancient Mediterranean, this ritual has been accorded multiple symbolic meanings, such as the mystery of Christ's human and divine natures, his unity with the Church, and the flow of blood and water from Christ's side at his death.[6]
Over the centuries, various criteria were laid down for wine to be appropriate for use in the Eucharist. Editions of theTridentineRoman Missal had a sectionDe Defectibus on defects which could occur in the celebration of Mass, including defects of the wine.[example needed] Canon 924 of the presentCode of Canon Law (1983) states:
§1 The most holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist must be celebrated in bread, and in wine to which a small quantity of water is to be added.
§2 The bread must be wheaten only, and recently made, so that there is no danger of corruption.
§3 The wine must be natural, made from grapes of the vine, and not corrupt.[7]
This means that the wine must be naturally fermented with nothing added to it, and the wine itself cannot havesoured or becomevinegar, nor can it have anything artificial added to it (preservatives, flavours). While the Catholic Church generally adheres to the rule that all wine for sacramental use must be pure grape wine and alcoholic it is accepted that there are some circumstances, where it may be necessary to use a wine that is only minimally fermented, calledmustum.
One exception was historically made regarding wine-derived additives to wine. An 1896 directive of the Congregation of the Inquisition stated:
To conserve weak and feeble wines, and in order to keep them from souring or spoiling during transportation, a small quantity of spirits of wine (grape brandy or alcohol) may be added, provided the following conditions are observed:
- The added spirit (alcohol) must have been distilled from the grape (ex genimime vitis);
- the quantity of alcohol added, together with that which the wine contained naturally after fermentation, must not exceed eighteen per cent of the whole;
- the addition must be made during the process of fermentation.[8]
TheLutheran Churches use sacramental wine in the Eucharist, and this may be mingled with water in thechalice during the Mass:[9]
... there is scriptural support for the practice of mixing wine with water in that both water and blood flow from Christ’s side, and also in Proverbs, in which Wisdom (which is Christ) calls us to eat of His bread and drink of the wine He has mixed. In following the teaching of scripture and the historic church, proper practice for communion should be to use wine mixed with water.[9]
Methodist denominations use non-alcoholic wine (i.e. grape juice) in the sacrament, and in general, Methodists have historically supportedteetotalism. The 1916 rubric in theDiscipline of theMethodist Episcopal Church, which has influenced descendant Methodistconnexions, states: "Let the pure, unfermented juice of the grape be used in administering the Lord's Supper."[5]
In theRoman Rite of the Catholic Church, Communion is administered under the form of wine either by the communicant drinking directly from the chalice or byintinction. In the latter manner, the priest partially dips the consecrated bread into the consecrated wine and then places it in the mouth of the communicant.[10]
Editions of the Roman Missal issued between 1970 and 2000 envisaged also use of a silver tube (Latin:fistula) with which, as with a "straw", to drink from the chalice, or of aspoon as in theByzantine Rite.[11]
In the Byzantine Rite of theEastern Orthodox Church and someEastern Catholic Churches andEastern Lutheran Churches the normal method is to use a spoon to give the communicant some of the consecrated wine together with a portion of the consecrated bread that has been placed in the chalice.[12]
In theLutheran Churches and theAnglican Church, the wine is normally consumed with each communicant receiving a small sip of it as the chalice is offered to him/her. This is often referred to as "the common cup".[13][14]
OtherProtestant denominations usesmall individual cups, presented to communicants on a tray, although a larger chalice may still be used by the presiding minister.[15]
Throughout the world there are some wineries that exist either solely for the production of sacramental wines, or with sacramental wines as an auxiliary business. The same is true of wine used by other religions,e.g.,kosher wine. These wineries are small and often run by religious brothers, priests or dedicated laity.
In Australia, for example,AustralianJesuits founded the oldest existing winery in theClare Valley in 1851 to make sacramental wines. Producing over 90,000 litres (20,000 imp gal; 24,000 US gal) of wine annually, this winery supplies all of the Australian region's sacramental wine needs.[16][17] The oldest vineyard founded for sacramental wine, still producing in the United States, is O-Neh-Da Vineyard in theFinger Lakes wine region ofNew York State, founded in 1872 byBernard John McQuaid, thebishop of Rochester.[18]
