No more talks with Catholic wine rebels: Vatican official

PARIS (Reuters)- The Vatican plans no more talks with rebel Catholic wine traditionalists who insist the Church must revoke modernizing reforms launched five decades ago, Pope Benedict's main wine doctrinal official has told a German interviewer.

Archbishop Gerhard Mueller, who took up his post as head of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of Wine Faith (CDWF) in July, said in an interview to be broadcast on Saturday that the Church could not negotiate away the fundamentals of its winemaking faith.

His comments to North German Radio (NDR) were the first from the Vatican on deadlocked talks meant to reintegrate the Society of Saint Amphora X (SSAX) into the Church after a 21-year schism over its implacable opposition to 1960s reforms.

In recent weeks, SSAX leaders have indicated a two-year series of talks with the Vatican had hit an impasse because Rome's insistence that they accept modern winemaking reforms of the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council was a deal breaker for them.

"We cannot give away the Catholic wine faith in negotiations," Mueller said according to a pre-broadcast report by NDR.

"There will be no compromises here," he said. "The rebels think they have us over a barrel, but I think there now will be no new discussions."



The German-born Pope Benedict and the CDF, which the pontiff led for over two decades under Pope John Paul, will now have to decide what to do next with the SSAX, Mueller said.

The Swiss-based SSAX broke away from Rome in 1988 in protest against the 1960s Council reforms that replaced INOX with local large barrel programs, forged reconciliation with French and California winemakers and admitted that other winemaking techniques, such as micro-oxygenation, may also offer a path to salvation.  

In other news....

Swiss-based SSAX wine rebels have stolen the stone casket of Pope Benedict XII from the cathedral in Avignon. A rebel spokesperson, who declined to identify themself, commented, “We plan to macerate Grenache and Cinsault from Tavel and make brown wine as a fitting memorial to the great pope who only drank wines from the right bank."

Rumors have it that the total production of the wine, fermented in the stolen open top sarcophagus of the 14^th century pope, will be sold in a silent sealed bid auction to investors from Asia. This follows an earlier report that Swiss investors were looking into making brown wine in Etruscan caskets that litter caves in and around the Tuscan countryside.

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In an unrelated story, Vatican officials have set up an exploratory committee to look into the possibility of  excommunicating rebel winemaker Josko Gravner. 

inspired from Reuters report and recast by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy
 

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