For all of those uninformed folks, the biggest sin in the Torah besides for screwing your parents and siblings is idolatry and we devote a lot of time to combating this obvious problem in our community. We may not have the desires of yore, when the Jews were ready and willing to worship the golden calf, sacrifice their children to Molech and pour out wine for their homies.
Find mevushal wine at 4torah.com
The whole stam yanim thing is silly nowadays (as are so many other of our long-standing customs. Like these 2-day yuntiffs coming up.) But if you insist on limiting your palette to “kosher” wine, you can get some Terrenel Wine from Trader Joe’s. Decent for $5/bottle (red or white).
He’s right. The flash-pasteurized wine is lousy.
You’re mentioned in my post, From a Few Friendly Blogs. Why don’t you check out my comment on your post and read the others linked, too?
Rabbis make up rules as they wish and are not man enough to rescind them when the time comes to do so. Unless there is something “mamish traif” in the wine, there is no reason to forbid it. The Spanish kid at the kosher catering hall is not making a prayer to Buddha as he opens the wine. Narishkeit.
And to actually pronounce that if a non-Jew so much as touches the (non-mevushal) wine it is unfit for Jewish consumption nauseates me.
non jew? Also a non observant jew.
Heshy,
Hate to contradict you, but some Catholic churches use kosher, mevushal wine. For example, see “When I was growing up, our the Catholic church used Mogen David” http://ask.metafilter.com/147822/Church-wine. Also see “Manischewitz produces special Kosher for Passover bottling of their wine which are sweetened with cane sugar as opposed to the corn syrup used throughout the year. It is also used as Communion wine” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manischewitz#Wine
So apparently mevushal wine is good enough to transubstantiate the blood and body of their saviour, just not good enough for you to want to drink.
(I must admit that I am no wine connoisseur, and prefer the Rashi, extra light for kiddush on Shabbos).
The only actual requirements for communion wine are that it be: 1) made from grapes 2) fermented (no Baptist grape juice silliness) 3) with nothing added (i.e., no sugar as with sparkling wine or distilled spirits as with port).
Most churches like to buy from monasteries who specialize in making sacramental wine so they can throw them some business. Other (most poor) churches just like to go with the cheapest stuff they can buy. Since you’re only getting a sip it’s not like anybody is going to care.
Wine at communion was actually suspended during the plague period and has only recently made a significant comeback. Reception is optional and lots of older folks (or non-American ethnic types) will still receive the host and pass up the wine.
Oh yeah, I forgot to say that hippie type churches will use Mogen David or Israeli wine or whatever they imagine that Jesus might have used 2,000 years ago. These are the same people that will use pieces of matzo for the host. Or conduct what they call “seders” on Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday). They are to be avoided at all cost.