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Wine Ministry |
by Mary Moore
Our Wine Ministry started somewhat by accident. We inherited some equipment and the kit with the ingredients for making a 5- gallon batch of red wine from a group at one of the other area Episcopal churches. Paul Fontaine and Jim Shields were interested in making the wine, and I joined them because I already had more than 20 years of wine-making under my belt.
Our first batch of communion wine led to another, then another, and eventually to over 100 bottles from the additional kits that we had bought. Covid and the ensuing remote Sunday services meant no need for church wine temporarily, turning our surplus into a glut. What to do with all that extra wine?
The solution was to have an outdoor wine tasting at a private residence, following all the covid precautions. If anyone wanted a bottle to bring home, there were suggested donations, all of which went to Saint David’s. That first wine tasting has now become an annual event, with bottles of various wines available year-round too. And we are back to providing all the communion wine.
Our present crew consists of Lin and Dan Paquette and Mary Moore. We make mostly standard wines such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Riesling. Nothing fancy. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will sometimes make a dessert wine, depending on the availability of the kits. We also handle the cleaning, sanitizing, filling, all equipment, labor, and wine kits are provided by the members of this ministry. There is a suggested donation for a bottle of wine, but for anyone on a low fixed income, we ask that you donate what you feel comfortable with. 100% of the money we collect goes directly into the church’s general fund.
If you want wine but can’t reach one of us, you can call the church office @ (413) 786-6133. Not all wines are available at all times, but generally speaking, there is at least one type of red, and one type of white wine on hand
Our Wine Ministry started somewhat by accident. We inherited some equipment and the kit with the ingredients for making a 5- gallon batch of red wine from a group at one of the other area Episcopal churches. Paul Fontaine and Jim Shields were interested in making the wine, and I joined them because I already had more than 20 years of wine-making under my belt.
Our first batch of communion wine led to another, then another, and eventually to over 100 bottles from the additional kits that we had bought. Covid and the ensuing remote Sunday services meant no need for church wine temporarily, turning our surplus into a glut. What to do with all that extra wine?
The solution was to have an outdoor wine tasting at a private residence, following all the covid precautions. If anyone wanted a bottle to bring home, there were suggested donations, all of which went to Saint David’s. That first wine tasting has now become an annual event, with bottles of various wines available year-round too. And we are back to providing all the communion wine.
Our present crew consists of Lin and Dan Paquette and Mary Moore. We make mostly standard wines such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Riesling. Nothing fancy. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will sometimes make a dessert wine, depending on the availability of the kits. We also handle the cleaning, sanitizing, filling, all equipment, labor, and wine kits are provided by the members of this ministry. There is a suggested donation for a bottle of wine, but for anyone on a low fixed income, we ask that you donate what you feel comfortable with. 100% of the money we collect goes directly into the church’s general fund.
If you want wine but can’t reach one of us, you can call the church office @ (413) 786-6133. Not all wines are available at all times, but generally speaking, there is at least one type of red, and one type of white wine on hand
