Previous Issues
1. In the previous issues, we wrote about several halachos pertaining to wine and grape juice, e.g., the special bracha of Borei Pri HaGafen (Issue 370, par. 2); undiluted and diluted wine (370:5 and on); the nature of wine today (370:13); diluted wine with respect to the bracha (370:26); grape juice for Kiddush (371:5); adding water to grape juice (371:9); reconstituted grape juice (371:17); cooked or pasteurized wine with respect to Kiddush (371:23 and on); and wine containing sodium bisulfite (371:31).
2. In the current issue, we will b’ezras Hashem focus on the halachos of mevushal wine with respect to the issur of yayin nesech. We will explain which type of cooking avoids any potential issur and the status of pasteurization for these purposes.
Introduction
3. Wine is the king of all drinks in terms of importance. Thus, Chazal granted it the special bracha of Borei Pri HaGafen. Wine is the drink that stands supreme for the many kosos shel bracha in Klal Yisroel. Due to its great significance, there are stricter halachos surrounding wine than other drinks. One of the central topics in the halachos of kashrus of wine is the shaila of a non-Jew touching wine, which often makes the wine assur in its production and drinking.
4. Caution at all stages of wine production. The yayin nesech / stam yeinam issur of a non-Jew touching wine applies from when the grapes begin to get pressed until the final stages of bottling, when the bottle is sealed with a cork and protective sleeve. This includes the processes of when the wine flows as liquid, fermentation, filtration, and clarification. Thus, to produce kosher wine, all these steps must be done by Torah observant Jews, a requirement that necessitates much Jewish manpower, which is not so common.
5. Over the generations, the poskim sought practical ways to guard the kashrus of wine even with the realities of commercial production and contact with non-Jewish workers. One of the central ways to prevent wine from becoming assur via contact with a non-Jew is through cooking (below, 11). Nowadays, there is an alternate process of bishul called pasteurization, which may give wine the status of “cooked” to avoid issues of non-Jewish contact and simultaneously prevents the wine from degrading and protects its quality and flavor more than actually cooking the wine. Thus, many see it as an excellent alternative to cooking and utilize it to produce mevushal wine today. In this issue, we will explain the pasteurization process and the various opinions regarding the shaila of whether pasteurization indeed avoids the issur of non-Jewish contact with wine.
6. Eretz Yisroel, chutz l’Aretz. The choicest, high quality wines produced in Eretz Yisroel are not mevushal. However, many wines produced in chutz l’Aretz are mevushal. The reason for this is that in Eretz Yisroel it is easier to find Torah observant winery employees, so it is not necessary to cook wine to prevent issues of non-Jewish contact. In chutz l’Aretz, though, it is harder to find Torah observant winery employees, so it is more common for the wine to be mevushal; this way, non-Jews can be employed for most of the production processes. Thus, one should always check the label to see whether a wine is mevushal or not, to know whether non-Jewish contact must be avoided.
