Adding Water to Wine
9. In the previous issue (370), we discussed at length the halachos of adding water to wine: how it used to be that wine was very strong and it was necessary to add water to make it drinkable (par. 5); since the wine required water, the water became part of the wine and was counted as part of the minimum required shiur of a revi’is (7); now that we drink wine without adding water (13), the poskim discuss how much water can be added to modern wine before it can no longer be considered wine for Kiddush and the bracha of HaGafen. We mentioned multiple opinions: some say it can be up to 49% water (31); others say only 33% (32).
Adding Water to Grape Juice
10. Machmirim. However, the leading poskim argue about adding water to grape juice. Some say only the tiniest amount of water can be added. The whole concept of diluting was only for wine, which, due to its strength, was not drinkable without water, so one was allowed to add water to make its taste more pleasant; that was something the wine needed. Grape juice, on the other hand, does not start with a strong flavor and can be drunk as is; it does not need water. Adding water to it ruins it and diminishes the original grape flavor; all that is left is sweet, colored water. The bracha on that is Shehakol, not HaGafen (הגרשז''א במנחת שלמה ח''א סי' ד', הגריש''א).
11. Meikilim. However, most poskim hold grape juice can also be diluted. As long as grape juice is diluted to an extent people normally do so and it is left with the taste of grape juice, not just sweet water, the bracha is still Borei Pri HaGafen (שו''ת מנחת יצחק ח''ח סי' י''ד, החזו''א חוט שני רבית קו' ענינים סי' ד'' אור לציון פ''כ אות י''ח). One must make sure not to add too much water, as the reality is that it is very easy to lose the flavor of the grapes, in which case all poskim agree the bracha would be Shehakol.
Grape Juice Manufacturers
12. In the past, grape juice manufacturers would add a lot of water, relying on the meikel opinion that grape juice could be diluted just as much as wine (Issue 370, 27-28). There are kashrus organizations today as well that allow using 51% grape juice and the rest water. However, high-level kashrus organizations insist on a significant majority of grape juice, such that significant grape juice flavor definitely remains. The Vaad HaKashrus of the Eidah Chareidis [today—in the past they adopted a more meikel approach] requires at least 70% grape juice, which is more than the machmir opinion of 66% for wine (ibid., par. 32), even according to most understandings of the Beis Yosef (36).
13. However, one certainly should not add any water to the bottled grape juice in his house, as the grape juice manufacturers already add the maximum amount of water possible. Thus, any extra water added at home leads to shailos of whether or not the grape juice is fit for Kiddush.
14. 100% grape juice. According to the machmirim above (10), one should only use 100% grape juice without any added water. Thus, when buying bottled grape juice, one should choose 100% grape juice, not 70% or more, as the fact is that most grape juice manufacturers add water in the production process.
15. 100% natural. However, one should be careful that it is indeed 100% grape juice. Many times, the text on the bottle’s label says “grape juice 100% natural” or “100% pure.” The customer translates that to mean 100% grape juice, but that is not the case. It attests to the fact that it is 100% natural without any added sugar or preservatives, but it does not exclude water, which is also natural and pure. Thus, if one wants to satisfy the machmirim, he should make sure to confirm that it is indeed 100% grape juice, with the “100%” appearing immediately in front of the words “grape juice” or “grapes.”
16. No additives. Even if the words “no additives” are printed on the label, that can mean there is no added sugar, preservatives, flavoring agents, or the like. It is not necessarily to the exclusion of water unless it explicitly says “no water added.”
