Article III: On Wine in Particular

S. Th. III, q. 74, a. 5-8.

220. Principle I. For the validity of the sacrament there is required wine from the vine. - It is proved:

1. From the institution of Christ saying, Matt. XXVI, 29: I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine...

2. From perpetual tradition, which is established from the Didache IX, 2.

3. From the declaration of the Council of Florence, decree for the Armenians, of the Roman Missal, and of can. 815.

4. By reason of fittingness.

Thus it is fitting a) because only wine from the vine is properly and commonly held as wine, for other liquids are called wines according to a certain likeness to wine of the vine; b) because it signifies more the effect of this sacrament, which is spiritual gladness.

221. Principle II. For usual or potable wine from the vine there is required and there suffices juice, expressed from mature grapes, not corrupted. - Namely, every species of wine is valid matter, of whatever color, region, condition, age it may be, and expressed from whatever mature grapes, even from dried grapes, provided that from color, odor, and taste it is recognized as true wine (Holy Office, July 22, 1706; May 7, 1879; April 10, 1889).

Hence invalid matter is:

1. Liquors or artificial wines expressed from grains, apples, pears, mulberries, pomegranates, or other fruits or herbs, as cider, beer, rythmum, although they have a great likeness with wine.

2. Chemically composed wine, although it contains all the elements of wine.

3. Those things which are from the vine but are not wine, as a) juice still enclosed in grapes, because it is not drink but food, nor properly wine, nor can it be sufficiently demonstrated by the words: this chalice; - b) wine imbibed in a lump of bread, because it is not only wine but also at the same time bread, nor drink but food; - c) verjuice or omphacium (verjus), i.e., liquid expressed from immature grapes, because it is on the way to wine but does not yet have the species of wine; - d) vinegar, which is corrupted wine, because a substantial change has been made by chemical combination between alcohol and the oxygen of the air; - e) vappa or perfectly flat wine, from which namely alcohol, which is an essential element of wine, has evaporated and the wine has become entirely putrid; - f) spirit of wine or burnt wine, etc.

4. Lora (piquette), which is made by water in great quantity poured over grapes already pressed; unless, however, much juice still remained in the grapes themselves, in which case this second wine would be valid matter or doubtfully valid, but gravely illicit.

5. Sapa or defrutum, i.e., must or new wine not yet clarified, but boiled down to a half or a third part, because in common estimation it is no longer wine nor drink, but food.

6. Wine mixed in great quantity with spice or with another liquid: if the liquid is mixed in such quantity that it can be diffused through the whole wine, the whole would become mixed and the species of wine would be dissolved, and it would be a liquid of another species; but if the added liquid were of so small a quantity that it could not be diffused through the whole, the whole would not become mixed but some part of it, and the added liquid would pass into the species of wine and the species of wine would remain.

222. Principle III. For liceity it is required that the wine be 1. perfect, 2. pure, 3. liquid or not frozen, 4. mixed with a very little natural water. - It must be:

1. Perfect from fermentation having taken place, namely, on account of reverence for the sacrament.

Must (mout), i.e., new wine not yet perfectly fermented and clarified, consequently having dregs mixed in which cannot be consecrated, is matter of itself gravely illicit, unless necessity is present, other wine being lacking.

2. Pure, i.e., not mixed, nor becoming sour or putrid, with that souring which indicates begun corruption.

To use these is a mortal sin from its genus, unless necessity is present because other wine is lacking; but it is venial on account of smallness of matter, if, for example, the wine were slightly impure or altogether only a little souring.

Indeed it can be lawful in moderate quantity to add foreign matter, for instance water, spirit of wine, sugar, if it is necessary, for example for preserving or correcting the wine. Thus according to the declaration of the Holy Office, July 30, 1890, it is lawful to use white wine to which a quantity of spirit of wine is mixed, provided that the spirit was extracted from the fruit of the vine, and that the added alcoholic quantity together with that which the wine naturally contains does not exceed the proportion of 12 percent, and that the admixture is made when the wine is very new, i.e., when the tumultuous fermentation decreases. Indeed, if the wine naturally already contains more than 12 percent spirit, it is licitly added up to 18 percent, if it is necessary for preserving wine which is exported (August 5, 1906). Nevertheless, to forestall the danger of corruption of the wine, it ought to be preferred that the wine be boiled to 65 degrees of heat, rather than that a small quantity of the liquor "eau de vie" be added (May 8, 1887); - likewise alcoholic spirit, because it is from the vine, is to be added rather than sugar (August 5, 1896); - nor is it expedient to use a chemical process for correcting the natural acridity of wine (April 27, 1892).

3. Liquid or not frozen, and indeed under grave obligation, because it must be potable.

It is valid, however, because it retains the substance and denomination of wine, and remains potable by its nature, just as hardened bread is edible, although not proximately; moreover after consecration Christ remains present if the species of wine is frozen, as is established from the Missal.

4. Mixed with a very little natural water (can. 814), which in the celebration of the sacrifice is required under grave obligation from an ecclesiastical precept.

The water is required to be natural; whence to use rose-water or water of another distillation would be a grave sin. The quantity is required to be sensible, but one drop suffices; let it never exceed an eighth or fifth part of the wine, or perhaps a third according to the diverse richness of the wine.

223. The commixture of water and wine 1. is not of the necessity of the sacrament, as is established from the Missal prescribing that it is to be omitted after consecration, De defectibus, c. X, n. 7, and from the manner of speaking of the Councils, which indicate that it is a custom and precept, never an essential necessity; - 2. nor is it of divine precept: for although Christ used water, nevertheless He did not command that all the circumstances of the Last Supper, for example the color of the wine, be observed, but only the substance of the action; - 3. but it is of ecclesiastical law, as is established from the Council of Florence, decree for the Armenians, and Trent, sess. 22, c. 7, can. 9.

But it is a grave precept, although the thing is light in itself, because it greatly conduces to a grave end, a signification of great moment: for it is done a) on account of institution, because it is believed that the Lord, according to the custom of the Jews, mixed water with wine; b) because it fits the representation of the Passion: for water flowed with blood from the side of Christ; c) because it fits the signifying of the effect of the sacrament, which is the union of the faithful people with Christ the head, the exemplar of which union is the union of human nature with the Word: for just as water is converted into wine, so human nature is united to the Word and the people to Christ, and thus they participate in the divine life (Council of Trent, l.c., c. 7).

That water is mixed with the wine, and since wine is nothing except a mixture of several substances among which there is water, hence a little water added passes into wine, and thus is mediately converted into the blood of Christ.