Is there non-alcoholic Cahors wine for communion?
An unexpected story about the creation of non-alcoholic communion wine from Stavropol. Archpriest Igor Podositnikov, head of the Department for Church Charity and Social Service of the Stavropol Diocese, spoke about the creation of this unusual Cahors:
"The wine market is constantly evolving. Currently, products such as non-alcoholic wine are becoming increasingly popular. Some prefer it for health reasons, while others don't want to change their established lifestyle. Most people today typically spend half their time driving. And for priests who celebrate the Liturgy with red wine, it's an indispensable product for the celebration of services. Therefore, non-alcoholic wine comes to the rescue.
Some priests are puzzled by the lack of alcohol in Eucharistic wine. And the main argument here is that without alcohol, it's not wine. But this is untrue. Non-alcoholic wine is made using traditional winemaking methods. The only difference in non-alcoholic production is the extraction of alcohol.
The sacralization of alcohol is not allowed. Some "ascetics of piety" believe that wine for the Eucharist It must have a high alcohol content. Traditional Cahors has at least 16%. One priest criticized non-alcoholic wine, declaring that "without alcohol, the Eucharist cannot be celebrated." This is unnecessary. This is an example of the sacralization of alcohol, and seriously smacks of heresy or just plain stupidity.
What alcohol is used to fortify Cahors? The alcohol used to fortify Cahors must be made exclusively from grapes. Why? Because nothing but grapes should be present at the Eucharist.
What do we see in practice? Cahors producers write "food grade alcohol" on the labels. This could be anything: beetroot, wheat, potato, etc. Therefore, priests would do well to pay attention not only to the alcohol content of Cahors, but also to its origin. Is non-alcoholic wine a compote? No, it's wine from which the alcohol has been extracted by vacuum distillation. The temperature during heating of the wine is no more than 35 degrees Celsius, that is, no higher than the body temperature of a healthy person. And compote, As you know, you need to bring it to a boil and simmer. This is over 90 degrees, and nothing living remains in such a drink.
Those who want to try non-alcoholic Trifonopolsky Cahors can use the Wildberries marketplace (Non-alcoholic sweet red wine, non-alcoholic Cahors).