Who’d a thunk?

An interesting sociological trend, from The Tidings, the archdiocesan paper for Los Angeles:

If you have driven north on highway 101 anytime during the past five years, you have certainly noticed the proliferation of vineyards – and winemakers – that line the highway in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Wine has become a lucrative industry and a pastime for many.

If you have been to church, you may also have noticed that sacramental (Communion) wine is more available (the recent H1N1 virus scare notwithstanding). That shouldn’t be a surprise, says Steve Riboli, vice president of San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles, one of the largest producers of sacramental wines in the country.

“When things are really tough, the majority of us as Catholics go back to our faith and our roots for strength and comfort,” says the parishioner of Holy Angels Church in Arcadia. “Going to Mass and receiving Communion increases our comfort level.”

San Antonio’s sacramental wine sales grew eight percent in the 2007-2008 fiscal year. The winery produces about 80,000 cases of sacramental wine per year, about 15 percent of its business. “It represents an important component for us,” Riboli says.

Riboli attributes the uptick in sales of sacramental wine to the need for Catholics to receive Communion, especially when their lives are in crisis or transition. He has noticed over the past 35 to 40 years that in difficult economic or social periods — such as following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — business increases for both sacramental wines and varietals.

Continue at the link for the rest.