Illegally imported altar wine seized in Quebec

Cops in Quebec seized bottles of sacramental wine as part of its investigation into altar wine that has allegedly illegally imported into Quebec from other Canadian provinces.

The wines were from Bertrand, Bélanger, Foucher, Procure Ecclésiastique in Quebec City, and Chandelles Tradition MB, Inc. in Saint-Constant.

The Californian altar wines, the kind used during communion, aren't part of the inventory of Quebec's alcoholic beverage authority, the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ), making its importation prohibited.

Jacques Laroche, the general manager and co-owner of Procure Ecclésiastique, noted that the issue has been dragging on for 40 years and that they were denied when they applied for an altar wine license in 1997.

The kind of wines that meet the Catholic church's sacramental requirements are those made from grape, pure and not mixed with any substances other than water, and it can't have soured or turned to vinegar.

These are not currently produced in the province, so they are imported from California into New Brunswick and Ontario, before being transported to Quebec.

Laroche suggests that the SAQ's reluctance to grant licenses for the import and sale of altar wine, or to sell it through their stores infringes on religious freedoms.

According to a spokesperson, SAQ was "analyzing its current stocks" to see if it had met the standards for altar wine.

The Vignoble Vertefeuille vineyard in La Prairie, Quebec is awaiting the Archdiocese of Montreal's approval for its white wine before sending it to SAQ for final approval as altar wine. If approved, it would be the first Quebec wine to get such designation since 2015.