Sacramental Wine

The term "sacramental wine" refers to wine produced from grapes and intended to be used during the Eucharist or Holy Communion. To Christians, sacramental wine symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ poured in Calvary when he was being crucified. Sacramental wine is different than other types of wine in the way it is prepared, its ingredients, and how it is marketed. Sacramental wine must be pure and is thus prepared without preservatives. Unlike most other kinds of wines, no flavoring agents are added to sacramental varieties. Coloring agents commonly used to make wines more visually appealing are also cannot be added. Sacramental wine is uniquely natural in its commitment to being as close to the fruit that came off the vine as possible. Preparation doctrine mandates that it should be prepared from ripened grapes fermented and free of sediment. The only addition to sacramental wine is water, which is mixed in during or immediately before the Eucharist. The wine should not be consumed if it demonstrates some characteristics of sourness. Sacramental wine's alcohol content cannot exceed 18 percent even after the addition of brandy which is sometimes used as a preservative to prevent the wine from spoiling in the transportation. The addition of alcohol must be made during the fermentation process.

Drinking the sacramental wine during communion demonstrates togetherness with Christ. It shows the presence of the risen Jesus Christ during the Eucharist. During this ceremony, the sacramental wine ceases to be wine and becomes the blood of Jesus Christ. This is outlined in the Bible when Jesus told his disciples that his blood would be poured to save people from their sins. The act of drinking sacramental wine is a way in which God communicates what is accomplished in the Eucharist through Jesus Christ. The sharing of sacramental wine during this celebration demonstrates the communion that exists between God's people and the Holy Trinity. This practice is also is meant to instill understanding of Jesus' suffering amongst God's people because Christian dogma encourages his followers to embrace it.

The ceremony of the Eucharist has an association with Paschal Seder and the Berakah in which kosher wine was consumed. Sacramental wine has traditionally been used to commemorate the last supper. The drinking of sacramental wine was at one time restricted to the priest officiating the Eucharist due to the relative scarcity of wine. One of the tenets of the Protestants Reformation sought to change this by expanding the consumption of sacramental wine to the laity of congregations as  a whole. This tenet has become the dominant outlook on sacramental wine consumption during the Eucharist.

There are various organizations and wineries that produce sacramental wine. Some of the wineries include Santa Barbara Wineries, New Mexico wineries, and San Antonio Winery. Some of these wineries, like Sevenhill Cellars in Australia's wine-producing Clare Valley region, are operated by priests.

The Universal Life Church Monastery is committed to continuing the Christian tradition of partaking in sacramental wine. The ULC Monastery, perhaps the largest online ministry in the world, offers numerous varieties of wine to those who wish to become an ordained minister online. These wines help to demonstrate that the ULC Monastery is committed to providing services to their ministers beyond their online ordinations by helping them continue a spiritually significant Christian rite.

If you have any questions about the ULC Monastery or the sacramental wines it offers, please feel free to contact us at 206-285-1086 or visit themonastery.org and weddingwines.org.