… I must admit that I don’t have the administrative or economic acumen, nor the proper means to make it come true… but I have a dream and it seems worth talking about it.

I live in the Crimea, and my favorite region is the south-west of the peninsula with its picturesque forested mountains, cozy valleys and, most importantly, with cave monasteries carved in ancient times. These now reviving monasteries on the mountains existed for hundreds of years, and there were many of them, not to mention rural and parish churches. A whole country whose name is the Principality of Theodoro. Sometimes, on an area of ​​no more than 5 square kilometers, archaeologists find the ruins of eleven, thirteen churches ...

The extinction of monastic life in these cave mountain monasteries and villages is associated with the invasion of the Turks in the 15th century. Then Christianity passed from a prosperous state to a decadent one. However, this is only an external assessment, because the main thing, of course, is the inner, secret life of Christians, as well as actions, life in accordance with faith. There were many Christians in the Crimea even after the Turkish colonization, but there is little material evidence of their life during the Ottoman rule.

But I return to the main topic of our conversation - to the dream. So, on the mountains, among the ruins of ancient monasteries and Orthodox settlements, you can still find wild vines of grapes. Once in these monasteries and villages, viticulture and the production of wine, including its best varieties - for liturgy, liturgical use - devoted a significant part of the daily labor time of monastics, and even laity. This is evidenced by both wild vines and numerous wine presses carved into the rocks for grapes - roaches.

And now we have practically no production for the liturgy, for church use. Don’t let the numerous stickers like “Monastic Hut” or “Tears of a Monk” seduce you: for the most part, it’s just cranberries, both figuratively and, alas, almost literally. But even wine made according to technology most often does not meet the specific requirements that are imposed on wine for liturgical use.

These requirements, in general, are simple, but compliance with them is associated with the use of labor-intensive technologies. Traditionally, wine for church use should be red, thick and sweet, but… (and this is where the most important thing begins) – without added sugar and alcohol, not to mention dyes and flavorings. That is, it should be a dry wine, but at the same time sweet, and it is quite difficult to achieve this in a natural way. It is known that the sugar in wine is converted into alcohol. And in order for dry wine to be sweet, it is necessary that after the end of natural fermentation, “free” sugar still remains in the wine. And for this, the must for making wine must be very sweet. How it is achieved naturally, I will say later, but for now I will describe in a nutshell how they approach the preparation of church wine in Orthodox Greece.

The first duty of wine specialists, having discussed with the priesthood which grapes are best suited for the production of excellent liturgical wine, is to look for the most convenient plot of land for growing this particular grape variety. In general, for grapes it is very important what kind of land, soil, and also how the site is located in relation to sunlight, wind roses, what kind of microclimate is there. So, they choose a site, and first of all, the priest sanctifies it. Then work begins, firstly, professional, and secondly, blessed. But such a combination of professionalism with conscious reverence, with faith and prayer is a wonder for us. But this is a desirable prospect and, I think, quite achievable. Specialists, and even believers, who sanctify their work by consciously invoking God's blessing - as you want (and believe) that this will become the norm for us. And I believe that we will come to this, if there is a desire. But for now - about how it happens in.

So, pious vine-growers work, cultivating, nurturing (good word!) vine especially for church needs. Then, having been blessed, they harvest. And here, too, there are peculiarities. Let me remind you that the sweetest varieties of grapes are used for the production of church wine. At the same time, the bunches break down for some time before harvesting right on the vine and dry in the sun so that the grapes, having lost moisture, concentrate in themselves as much as possible. more sugar. This is a rather complicated and time-consuming technology, but thanks to it, the wine turns out to be quite sweet even after fermentation, without the addition of sugar. After the grape harvest begins in the literal sense of the sacrament - directly already the production of wine, which should be sweet, tasty and at the same time without any additions. Of course, winemakers have many secrets of their own, but one way or another, the wine ages, is drained several times from the sediment, matures, and only then is it consecrated and used to serve the Divine Liturgy.

Here is my main dream and is that we - in the Crimea - someday such production will be established. Production of church wine in compliance with not only proper technologies, but also canonical rules.

But that's not all I wanted to say. In addition to this, the main dream, I also have a "subdream", if I may say so, however, closely related to the first. It consists in looking for old grape varieties that have run wild, may already be unfit for consumption, with sour berries, but still keeping what can be called a "code". The code of that - ancient - life, that monastic labor, that faith, that hope, whose successors, keepers and multipliers we can and should be ... Such an idea of ​​spiritual and material continuity in the field of church winemaking. Finding these old varieties and trying to “reanimate” them, recreate them - I can only guess how difficult and painstaking it is. But what a blessing at the same time, you must agree!

I know that in Soviet time such selection works for the conservation, revival of the best Crimean grape varieties were carried out. But there was no spiritual, liturgical meaning in this work, and this is so important! And who now keeps and continues this work? Maybe there are only a few enthusiasts, and so... - more and more varieties of "promising" varieties are being imported to the Crimea, primarily in the sense of commerce and profit.

I know that the traditions of church winemaking are being successfully revived in other places, for example, in the Georgian monastery of Alaverdi. From time immemorial, winemaking has been the traditional work of the monks of this monastery. And in the last few years this ancient tradition successfully revived.

The difficulty of such activity, I think, is largely due to the fact that it does not bring quick profits. This means that this activity can and should be associated with such purely Christian qualities as patience, trust in God, faith, diligence with temperance, respect for traditions... But I think that such a good and important deed as the production of church wine, by the grace of God, can to bring to the one who is engaged in it, over time, and material profit. I'm even sure of it! But, most importantly, for people who engage in it, such an activity can become the way, in a worldly, practical sense, by which a person makes his ascent to God. Ascension through conscientious and blessed work, sanctified by hope and. And this, of course, is more important than any material benefit and profit. If only we could come to an understanding of this!

And one more thing... maybe the main thing I'm getting at. Our whole present life is reminiscent of the very sour grapes in a degenerated and abandoned vineyard, which we all have to revive together, work on it, with patience and prayer, grow a good harvest and bring it to God. Well, now that's actually all I wanted to say. That is, one should not be too upset that our grapes are sour, that the columns are tumbled down, the trellises are torn and the fence is broken, that the vines are braided with vines and drowned out by thickets of weeds. Enough already, we cried - and it will be. And now it is up to all of us, each in his place, to do what we can. To whom weeds should be pulled out and burned away from the vineyard ... who should dig up the earth, although this is a difficult task ... It is stony in the vineyards - it often happens. But when you love your land, then work until you shed sweat on it is a joy ... Who needs to restore the posts, stretch the wire between them so that there is something for the vine to develop and grow. To whom the ancient vines with frugality and, with skill, cut, free from those who braided them wild plants, tie up, treat ... And all together think about how to make sweet grapes from sour ... The sweetest one possible! And we will not begin to be chemical, because our goal is not to have grapes with a bucket, and not to throw dust in someone's eyes and sell the harvest more profitably, but to bring it to the Lord. It’s good, you see, to think so, to have your first concern about it. And won't the Lord help us if we think like that and work like that? Yes, it will help, of course, and it will help so much that we will only rejoice and be touched, because a good deed - a truly good one - always brings joy indescribable, which cannot be replaced by anything else.

As for the speed... That's important. We don't need to hurry, as strange as it sounds. It is necessary to do the work, but there is no need to rush. We all want to hurry, otherwise we will be late; everything seems that we will not have time ... No, no. We won’t be late if we stop fussing and remember that everything is in God’s hands, and not in ours… if we understand that all we need now is not haste, but faith, reverence and attention… to ourselves… to our life… to what we do. Before the face of God. And haste here can only hurt. On this occasion, I am reminded of a Chinese parable, but it is quite suitable for us.

This is a parable about a hurried peasant who planted wheat, waited for it to sprout, but then decided that it was growing too slowly and he needed help. And this peasant with great zeal and "patience" walked around the field and pulled each spikelet up so that it grew faster ... It is clear that in the end the poor fellow was left without a harvest.

This is how we sometimes become like an impatient peasant, striving to do everything as soon as possible where not speed is needed, but reverent and patient work, faith and attention to ourselves, in agreement with God.

Our fatherland is like a field and a vineyard at the same time. And we all have to work together, work humbly, in order to bring to the Lord from our labors whoever can. And then, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we will certainly understand that there is nothing more important, purer, holier than this in the world. Just to understand this, we just need to work now, without looking back and not complaining about the fallen posts, the destroyed fence and sour grapes. Give us, O God, to love work in Your vineyard, in Your field.

And about the rest, Lord, You will surely take care of Yourself!

Cahors- this is one of the most extractive grape wines, which has a thick and rich, but at the same time soft and velvety taste with hints of prunes, black currants, raspberries, cherries, blackthorns, nightshade, milk cream. The highest quality Cahors show chocolate tones.

The color of the wine is ruby ​​red, garnet, bright, lively, scarlet, reminiscent of blood. During aging, onion and brick tones are acquired. Boiled fruit nuances with weak caramelization, coffee-chocolate and cherry-blackcurrant shades are found in the aroma of wine.

Cahors is perhaps the only representative of a group of typical classic wines made to order, which was made by the Russian Orthodox Church with the aim of performing the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Thanksgiving) in remembrance of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

It owes its name to the French city of Cahors, located near the Pyrenees, in the vicinity of which intensively colored grape varieties are grown - Saperavi, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mattress, Bastardo, Merlot, etc. Such a responsible order could only be entrusted to experienced winemakers familiar with production technology red wines. As for the variety and quality of the wine used in worship, this is stated in the Teaching News: “For the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, grape wine must be used, since the Savior Himself performed the Sacrament on such wine. Grape wine must be red in order to appearance depicted for sensual eyes the prenatural blood of the Savior served in the Eucharist, especially since the Savior at the Last Supper undoubtedly used red wine, which was in common use in Palestine. And the Holy Church from time immemorial used red grape wine in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Ancient Russia, not having its own vineyards, has not established a clear taste for wine. Our ancestors liked sweet wine more, like other intoxicating drinks containing sugar (honey, beer), therefore, the church wine ordered by the French had a traditional taste - sweet.

The history of Russian church wine dates back to the 17th century. In the early years of the spread of Christianity in Russia, church wine was imported from Greece by Greek priests, and then Italian wines were used for this purpose.

The Stoglavy Cathedral of 1551 allowed the use of only Fryagi wine in monasteries (Russian chroniclers called Italians Fryagi). In the future, the wine was bought by the Russian church at the Molozhskaya, Makarievskaya and Novgorod fairs from foreign merchants.

And only at the beginning of the 17th century, Persian merchants brought Transcaucasian vines to Astrakhan and handed them over to a local monk for planting near the monastery. The harvest of these vines gave the first church wine in Russia. In 1613, by order of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the monk was instructed to supply wine for the church table, and in 1658, governor Romadanovsky sent 41 barrels of church wine to Moscow. From the royal charter dated January 17, 1659 in the name of the Astrakhan governor Prince Dmitry Lvov and Nikifor Beklemeshev, it is known that Paskayunos Padavin was in charge of state winemaking, who was ordered to prepare exclusively church wine. The governors were obliged to ensure that the Russian people sent for training had some “skill” in the preparation of church wine and could make good wine without a master.

The produced wine went to cathedrals, monasteries and churches only with the authority of the Holy Synod, which received this right in 1733. At that time, Volosh and Moldavian wines were used as church wine. These wines produced in the wine-growing regions of Russia were dry. In other regions, imported overseas wines were used. Producing countries chose fortified wines for shipment, which better endured long-term sea transportation. In the 17th-19th centuries, such wines were like Cahors from France and Benicarlo from Spain.

A bowl of good Cahors with a piece of freshly baked French bread is Patriarch Kirill's favorite remedy for maintaining strength during holy prayers or reading church books.

A counter in the temple with an assortment of consecrated Cahors.

Cahors - Easter wine

What is Easter without a bottle of good Cahors?!

The ritual wine for Easter is, of course, Cahors, grape wine of the color of ripe cherries, a symbol of the blood of Christ. Both adults and children partake of them in the church.

There is in France the glorious city of Cahors, in which in ancient times they invented new way grape processing. The squeezed juice, together with the pulp, was heated to a temperature a couple of tens of degrees below boiling, the wort was decanted and forced to “wander” for some time. Then the young wine "aged" in special containers and after 3 years it was ready for use.

In Russia, Cahors was brought under Peter the Great. The Great Sovereign was famous not for potatoes alone and not for overseas tobacco. But it was no longer the wine invented in the vicinity of Cahors that was brought in, but fortified with alcohol. In the times of Peter the Great, the production of this drink was established in Russia.

Wine, with its color and consistency, was so reminiscent of blood that for a long time it was used in church ceremonies as the “blood of Christ”. Over time, the needs of the church for this wine grew, and its production in Russia expanded. In addition, there were gourmets who were not averse to tasting Cahors outside the temple.

Holy Easter set.

How did Cahors appear in Russia?

Cahors is the only wine that can be consumed in great post. On the eve of Easter, AiF.ru explains why this is connected and why only this drink is allowed to be blessed in the church.

Indispensable attributes Happy Easter are not only colored eggs and Easter cake, but also wine, symbolizing the blood of Christ. However, not all wines can be consecrated in the Church, but only Cahors. It is the only alcoholic beverage used by priests in religious ceremonies. It can also be drunk during Lent. True, only on weekends and in very moderate doses.

The place of Cahors in Orthodoxy

The Bible says that Jesus Christ himself compared himself to a vine, and God the Father to a vinedresser who tends trees by cutting off barren branches. Turning water into wine is the first miracle performed by Jesus Christ during the marriage feast in the city of Cana, near Nazareth.

“I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman; every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he cuts off; and every one that bears fruit he cleanses, that she may bear more fruit,” says the Gospel of John.

The Russian Orthodox Church uses Cahors for the Sacrament of Communion. Fortified wine is also used in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, a rite that helps the believer to connect with God. After a forty-day fast, Christians eat bread and wine, symbolizing the Body and Blood of Christ as an act of mutual sacrificial love.

“And taking bread, and giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying, This cup is New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you,” is how the Last Supper is described in the Gospel of Luke.

There are many versions of why this particular type of wine was used for religious ceremonies.

So, according to the rules described in the “Izvestiya Uchitelny”, which was first printed in 1699, the Church should use only non-acidic grape wine for communion. The color of the drink is not specified, but it is believed that since wine symbolizes the blood of Christ during Holy Communion, the rich red hue of Cahors is more suitable for this purpose.

In addition, church wine should not contain water, herbal extracts and sugar. Such a drink turns out to be very strong, so in the church it is diluted with water.

How did Cahors appear in Russia?

The very word "cahors" came into the Russian language from France. There, wines of this variety are called the similar-sounding word "Cahors".

Cahors is first mentioned in chronicles of the 13th century. France is considered the birthplace of a drink of rich red color with a tart, sweetish taste. According to chronicles, Cahors began to be produced on the right bank of the Lot River, where rare varieties of grapes are still grown, from which the most delicious, and therefore expensive wines are obtained. However, it should be noted that the recipe for church Cahors is significantly different from the French one.

But how wine began to be produced in Russia is still not known for certain. Within the territory of Russian Empire winemaking was not practiced until the 17th century. According to one version, they decided to start production because the supply of wine from Greece, Italy and France for religious ceremonies was very expensive for the treasury. According to another, they began to engage in winemaking in Russia by decree Peter I- a well-known connoisseur of everything overseas. The choice in the direction of fortified wine could also fall because it is one of the few drinks that could withstand long transportation without losing its taste.

Since it was impossible to repeat the European technology, the recipe for Cahors produced in the southern territories of the country differed from the original. In the Russian Empire, fortified wine was made from Cabernet and Saperavi grape varieties. This added to it an unusual sweet aftertaste and aroma of blackcurrant, and sometimes chocolate.

How is Cahors produced?

Cahors belongs to the types of fortified dessert red wine. In Russia, in addition to domestic, you can find Cahors from Azerbaijan, Moldova and Abkhazia.

Modern Cahors is produced not only from Cabernet Sauvignon and Saperavi grapes, but also Morastel and Malbec. At the same time, only berries with a sugar content of at least 22-25% are received for processing. Special attention is given to their processing, since the color of the drink depends on the chosen method - one of its main characteristics. Dessert wine production technologies also differ - each producer has his own secret. For example, in the manufacture of the Abkhaz Cahors, named after the ancient monastery "New Athos", the grapes are crushed and the resulting pulp is heated to a temperature of 55-60 ° C for 10-24 hours. This heat treatment contributes to a more complete transition from the pulp into the must of tannins, coloring and other extractive substances, due to which the wine acquires an intense color, a noble bouquet and a full velvety tart taste, in which tones of prunes and other fruits stand out. In Crimea, another technology is used - in the process of making wine, grape brandy is added to the heated crushed grape mass, after which the drink is aged until fully cooked.

Indispensable attributes of a bright Easter are not only colored eggs and Easter cake, but also wine, symbolizing the blood of Christ. However, not all wines can be consecrated in the Church, but only Cahors. It is the only alcoholic beverage used by priests in religious ceremonies. It can also be drunk during Lent. True, only on weekends and in very moderate doses.

The Russian Orthodox Church uses Cahors for the Sacrament of Communion. Fortified wine is also used in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, a rite that helps the believer to connect with God. After a forty-day fast, Christians eat bread and wine, symbolizing the Body and Blood of Christ as an act of mutual sacrificial love.

There are many versions of why this particular type of wine was used for religious ceremonies.

So, according to the rules described in the “Izvestiya Uchitelny”, which was first printed in 1699, the Church should use only non-acidic grape wine for communion. The color of the drink is not specified, but it is believed that since wine symbolizes the blood of Christ during Holy Communion, the rich red hue of Cahors is more suitable for this purpose.

In addition, church wine should not contain water, herbal extracts and sugar. Such a drink turns out to be very strong, so in the church it is diluted with water.

How did Cahors appear in Russia?

The very word "cahors" came into the Russian language from France. There, wines of this variety are called the similar-sounding word "Cahors".

Cahors is first mentioned in chronicles of the 13th century. France is considered the birthplace of a drink of rich red color with a tart, sweetish taste. According to chronicles, Cahors began to be produced on the right bank of the Lot River, where rare varieties of grapes are still grown, from which the most delicious, and therefore expensive wines are obtained. However, it should be noted that the recipe for church Cahors is significantly different from the French one.

But how wine began to be produced in Russia is still not known for certain. On the territory of the Russian Empire, winemaking was not practiced until the 17th century. According to one version, they decided to start production because the supply of wine from Greece, Italy and France for religious ceremonies was very expensive for the treasury. According to another, winemaking in Russia began to be engaged in the decree of Peter I - a well-known connoisseur of everything overseas. The choice in the direction of fortified wine could also fall because it is one of the few drinks that could withstand long transportation without losing its taste.

Since it was impossible to repeat the European technology, the recipe for Cahors produced in the southern territories of the country differed from the original. In the Russian Empire, fortified wine was made from Cabernet and Saperavi grape varieties. This added to it an unusual sweet aftertaste and aroma of blackcurrant, and sometimes chocolate.

How is Cahors produced?

Cahors belongs to the types of fortified dessert red wine. In Russia, in addition to domestic, you can find Cahors from Azerbaijan, Moldova and Abkhazia.

Modern Cahors is produced not only from Cabernet Sauvignon and Saperavi grapes, but also Morastel and Malbec. At the same time, only berries with a sugar content of at least 22–25% are received for processing. Particular attention is paid to their processing, since the color of the drink, one of its main characteristics, depends on the chosen method.

Dessert wine production technologies also differ - each producer has his own secret. For example, in the manufacture of the Abkhaz Cahors, named after the ancient monastery "New Athos", the grapes are crushed and the resulting pulp is heated to a temperature of 55–60 ° C for 10–24 hours.

This heat treatment contributes to a more complete transition from the pulp into the must of tannins, coloring and other extractive substances, due to which the wine acquires an intense color, a noble bouquet and a full velvety tart taste, in which tones of prunes and other fruits stand out.

In Crimea, another technology is used - in the process of making wine, grape brandy is added to the heated crushed grape mass, after which the drink is aged until fully cooked.

Cahors has always been considered a special drink with medicinal properties.

The diseases for which doctors prescribed Cahors are innumerable. Most often, Cahors was drunk warmed up for colds and ailments; medicinal herbs and natural honey were added to enhance the properties. There is evidence that the nobles of this world also used Cahors: for example, Peter I treated his sick stomach with it.

Of course, the use of Cahors is not limited to church needs. This dessert wine is served with fruit and confectionery, sweet dishes, Cahors also goes well with game and spicy vegetable and meat dishes. Cahors is not suitable for some large events, as they drink it a little and in small sips, thinking about the eternal.

The place of Cahors in Orthodoxy

The Bible says that Jesus Christ himself compared himself with a vine, and God the Father - with a vinedresser who takes care of trees, cutting off barren branches. Turning water into wine is the first miracle performed by Jesus Christ during the marriage feast in the city of Cana, near Nazareth.

“I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman; every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he cuts off; and every one that bears fruit he cleanses, that she may bear more fruit,” says the Gospel of John.

14:54 31.03.2000

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The tradition of using wine in the rituals of worship has existed since time immemorial. The first mention of the vineyard and grape wine we find in the book of Genesis, in the history of the patriarch

The tradition of using wine in the rituals of worship has existed since time immemorial. The first mention of the vineyard and grape wine we find in the book of Genesis, in the story of Patriarch Noah. Old Testament authors testify that red grape wine, referred to in the Bible as "the blood of grapes", was widely used by the ancient Israelite people. The vine was not only a symbol of peace and prosperity, but also carried a spiritual meaning. This is especially evident in the texts of the New Testament, where the vine, grapes and wine, deeply symbolic images of that time, are constantly used in parables. “I am the true vine, and my father is the vinedresser,” says Jesus Christ.

The scene of the Last Vespers gave rise to a centuries-old tradition of worship, serving as a prototype of the Sacrament of Communion. Christ gave the disciples a cup of wine with the words: “Drink from it all. In this cup is my blood, which is shed in the remission of your sins. Do this in remembrance of me." Since then, believers, taking communion, under the guise of bread and wine, partake of the very body and blood of Christ for eternal life. What should be church wine? What are the features of red dessert wines in Russia? And why did the falsification of Russian wines begin with this particular category of wine products?
The Stoglavy Cathedral of 1551 in the monasteries allowed only "Fryazhsky" red wines from Genoa to be consumed. On ships, around Europe, through Arkhangelsk, "Fryazhsky wine" was delivered to Russia and purchased by the church at the Molozhskaya, Makaryevskaya and Novgorod fairs. Of course, this wine was very expensive. Therefore, already at the beginning of the 17th century, Astrakhan monks planted Transcaucasian vines near the monastery.
In 1658, Governor Romodanovsky sent 41 barrels of church wine to Moscow.

In the 17th century, monastery wines from Volosh and Moldavian vineyards were used as church wine. However, there was clearly not enough Russian wine for the church - it was produced too little. To cover this deficit, at the end of the 19th century, for the needs of the church, Russia bought large quantities of thick red sweet wines in Western Europe under the names "Horn" and "Benicarlo" in Western Europe. "Benicarlo" was a real sweet wine made from grapes and got its name from the Spanish city on the Middle Sea. Well, the word "horn" means an indefinite mixture of spirits from France and Germany. That is, falsification of church wine.
Actually, the period of mass falsification of sweet red wines supplied to Russia begins in the 18th century - before the start of mass imports. Russian falsifiers are not afraid of either royal decrees or resolutions of the Holy Synod, threatening punishment for their forgery. Although the prohibitions on any impurities of non-grape origin were severe: “Whoever dares, except for the grape wine itself, on other wines and juices, or the wine pretends to be sour, or with what it will be mixed, will not perform the sacraments, but the priest will sin heavily, mortally.”
Fraudsters act brazenly - in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Odessa, Rostov, making huge batches of fakes under the name "Church wine". Their home-grown recipes include "chikhir" (dry red wine of the northern Caucasus), water, grain alcohol, sugar, molasses, and even blueberry juice. To fake expensive varieties of church wines, real Spanish Benicarlo was used in the mixture; cheap varieties consisted mainly of "chikhir", water, sugar and blueberry juice, sometimes with the addition of alcoholic infusions of flavored herbs.

The free sale of counterfeit drinks with the name "Church" was then in Russia about five million decaliters a year. They were cheaper than vodka products, were not taxed and were in high demand among the population. This is how a folk drink arose, which, in fact, was a blueberry-sugar product made with water, alcohol and wine.
For the needs of 48,000 churches in Russia, about 300 thousand decaliters of wine were required annually, and there was simply no clear regulation of its origin, composition and quality.
The first Russian congress of viticulturists and winemakers, held in Moscow in 1902, undertook to solve this problem. The congress was chaired by the outstanding Russian winemaker Prince L.S. Golitsyn, who stood for the purity of Russian wines. By the decision of the section "Church wine" it was decided to decide on two types of such wine: the first - for the needs of the church, the second - for non-church consumption. For needs Orthodox Church it was allowed to prepare two types of wine: sweet red wine of the Cahors type and dry red wine, to which the population is accustomed southern regions Russia. In addition, the resolution emphasized that the resale of church wine for the purpose of profit is unacceptable.
The second type - for non-church consumption - became the favorite national wine Cahors (after the name of the city of Cahors in France).
In both cases, it was allowed to make wine only from grapes. To increase the fortress, only pure grape rectified alcohol could be used; the sugar content of wine could only be increased with the help of condensed grape juice.
The first Russian law "On Grape Wine of Russia" was approved on April 24, 1915 by Emperor Nicholas II. The purpose of the law was to protect wine from all kinds of fakes and the use of foreign materials in the manufacture: sugar, bread or starch alcohol, herbal extracts, water. The law, in particular, defined the requirements for producers of church wines: "Church-liturgical wine is prepared by trustworthy and conscientious wine-making companies for all dioceses, all churches of the Holy Synod."

At the same time, the technological foundations for the preparation of sweet church wines, and with them other domestic red dessert wines, appeared.
With the support of L.S Golitsyn, they were developed by Professor M.A. Khovrenko, Professor M.F. Shcherbakov, winemakers “Magarach” and “Massandra” S.F. Okhremenko, I.A. Biyanki, A.V. Keller and others.
Thus, traditional church winemaking, on the one hand, and consumer tastes, on the other hand, gradually formed modern technologies for the production of red dessert wines. To name just a few of them: “Kakgor South Coast”, “Kagor Ukrainian”, “Chumai”, “Uzbekiston”, “Kurdamir”, “Black Doctor”, “Golden Field”, “Dagestan”, “Getashen”, “Black Muscat Massandra” , “Aleatico Ayu-Dag”, “Praskoveiskoe”, “Kabardian”, “Jubilee Magarach”, “Ai-Serez”. In each of them - a unique harmonious combination of flavors6 from prunes, melted cream or Tsaregrad pods - to cocoa, vanilla and chocolate. These wines have been awarded dozens of gold and silver medals at international competitions. They contain many years of creative work of winemakers from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan.
But in our time, as well as many years ago, there are many falsified church wines. They are produced under attractive names - "Church", "Easter", "Monastic". Counterfeiters supply bottles with intriguing label numbers and descriptions of non-existent medicinal properties, completely ignoring the canonical requirements of church winemaking. They most often contain the same “commercial” set of ingredients familiar to us: wine, water, sugar, alcohol, herbs.
According to the old Russian traditions church wine must not only be of a thick color, sweet and moderately strong, but in order for the Sacrament of Communion to be accomplished, it must be made only from pure grape juice without any extraneous impurities.
Courtesy of the Russian Almanac of Wines.