| Canon Law gives little advice about communion wine, other than it should be “the fermented juice of the grape, good and wholesome”. For me, the wine reflects a church’s attitude. If you get poor wine, you often get a poor welcome. I would like to think that the fact that my church is now offering supermarket port in the chalice has contributed to the increase in our numbers.
Now a new factor comes into the equation: a Staffordshire wine-merchant has imported what he claims is the world’s first Fairtrade communion wine. It has been created for him by the Los Robles Winery, in Curicó, Chile.
Francis Peel, of Whitebridge Wines in Stone, studied theology at Oxford, but was seduced by the quality of his college’s cellar. He has long wanted to produce the ideal communion wine, and at last he believes his dream has come true. In co-operation with the wine-maker Paula Bottero, he is offering a wine that not only tastes good and is reasonably priced, but also benefits a community in Chile. It also has a classical name, Poterion — the Greek for cup.
The wine arrived in this country only this month; so it is perhaps too early to say whether it keeps well. But it is lightly fortified and full of sweetness, and should survive life in the vestry cupboard.
If you are a lover of a full, ruby-coloured communion wine, you might have a quibble, as it is basically made from the white grape Sémillon, faintly coloured with the addition of some Merlot. The result is a pale shade of amber, though the colour might be intensified in future shipments.
Mr Peel says that this is a wine “you would be happy to drink on its own”. I am not so sure about this, but would happily suggest that you make up your order with other Fairtrade wines from the same source.
www.poterionfairtrade.co.uk
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