One usually does not associate Episcopalians with temperance. As the old joke goes, "Whenever two or three are gathered together, there is a fifth." And while there is something to be said for the divine favor that smiles on "wine that gladdens the heart of man," our fallen natures and imperfect bodies lead us to excess and genuine illness and addiction. Many of our last generation of priests were alcoholics. Many of our present generation are the children of alcoholics.
But when Anglicans aren't dealing with addiction and broken family systems, they probably need a drink, and not just a beer, despite Mother England's reputation as a land of beers and ciders. If we're talking Anglican booze, we're talking Iberian fortified wines: port, Madeira, and sherry. I don't know who first thought to mix brandy with red wine, but the English clearly loved it. And let's not forget the white version: the sack that Shakespeare writes about. Just the other day, I was buying a bottle of port as a gift for a non-Anglican Kiwi friend when I see my Anglo-Baptist Rector just behind me in line. He asks in his Cotton Kingdom accent, "Have a night of drinking ahead of you?" Not a bad guess, just a wrong one. After all, I'm a cradle Episcopalian. I've been a member of one parish where we'll serve sherry to you after Eucharist every Sunday of the year. And let's not forget how many parishes we'll do so at Eucharist as well. All during college, the Chaplain consecrated tawny port. I was fairly vexed he never mixed it with water, but don't most other catholic churches insist on "pure, fermented juice of the grape—good and wholesome," including the Church of England? Does wine mixed with grape distillate count?
5 comments:
I hadn't even thought of that. When asked to provide wine for eucharist at work, I always provide a sweet fortified sort where others provide what I would label near-vinegar.
At one of my parishes, a $10 bottle of red was customary. But fortified wines have been standard elsewhere, including my present parish. I'm just glad these wines have a decent base. I'm really not sure how Thunderbrid would go over.
What I think is more interesting is the social aspect of these wines. The solitary Anglican drink is gin. The gin-soaked vicar is a stock character of English comedy.
One of my Rectors described his ordination process as consisting of a series of meetings with the Bishop over sherry every year or so.
The fortified stuff is the only booze I really like now, besides beer! I'm starting an internship at a new parish for a year, and the truth is, one of the things I'll miss most about my home parish is the delicious Golden Angelica...
I think there is a practical matter here, unless one is to finish off the whole bottle of a Burgundy, fortified bottled wines will "keep" even after having been opened and then sitting in the sacristy for some weeks between "servings" being dispensed, until said bottle is empty. My parish uses about 1 cup per liturgy, so the large bottles will last us about a month.
On my arrival I found my predecessor had instituted Tokay, but I've returned to the more traditional English custom of Ruby Port. Rule Iberia!
Fr. Haller, I never thought about the storage issue...
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