Pasteurization
28. Instead of actually cooking wine or grape juice during production by getting it to fully boil, which can potentially ruin the wine, there is a process called pasteurization. The wine is quickly heated to about 75-85°C [167-185°F] in a closed system to prevent loss of flavor and then cooled. This kills microbes, preventing natural fermentation—for grape juice, this is done at the beginning of production, while for wine it is done after it has already become wine and it is necessary to prevent fermentation from continuing. The poskim discuss whether pasteurization has the halachic status of cooking. [Some discuss this with respect to avoiding yayin nesech issues (to be discussed in an issue later in the series אי"ה); others discuss it with respect to making Kiddush on cooked wine.]
29. Considered cooked. Some poskim hold pasteurization is like cooking regarding Kiddush wine. Thus, those who are machmir on cooked wine (above, 24) should also be machmir for pasteurized wine or grape juice, but according to the majority of poskim, who hold cooked wine is fit for Kiddush, pasteurized wine may also be used l’chatchila (אור לציון ח''ב פ''כ הע' י''ח, הגריש''א דרור יקרא סוף עמ' שנ''ו, אשרי האשי או''ח ח''ב פ''ז אות ס''ב).
30. Not considered cooked. Other poskim hold pasteurization is not like cooking, so pasteurized wines and grape juices also have the advantage of being uncooked for Kiddush.
