Process
17. Reconstituted grape juice is made by evaporating most of the water from the juice to reduce its volume and weight for ease of storage, transportation, and the like. It usually ends up becoming one fifth of its original volume. Then, before bottling, four parts water are added back in to restore it to its original state. The poskim discuss whether this is truly considered wine or grape juice for the purposes of bracha and Kiddush, as will be explained.
18. Machmirim. Some hold that when the juice is in its concentrated state, it is no longer considered wine. Then, when the water is added back in, it does not go back to its original state. Undiluted wine may have up to five parts water added (Issue 370, par. 27), as that is how wine is drunk and the water becomes part of the wine. Grape juice, however, is not really wine. Chazal only give it the status of wine because it will become wine in the future. When it becomes concentrate, though, it loses the status of wine, as it is not drinkable. When water is added, the water does not become wine, and the new drink is mostly water (הגרשז''א במנחת שלמה סי' ד').
19. However, some poskim agree the bracha remains Borei Pri HaGafen since the flavor is still that of grape juice. But they hold one may not make Kiddush on it, as it does not have the status of wine for Kiddush purposes (הגרשז''א הנ''ל). Others are machmir regarding the bracha as well and hold it is Shehakol (אור לציון ב' פ''כ אות כ''א, הגריש''א, אשרי איש פ''ז אות ס''ג).
20. Meikilim. However, there are poskim who hold that although one cannot say HaGafen on it while it is concentrate, when the water is added back and it is restored to its original state, the bracha is HaGafen and it can be used for Kiddush. However, they agree it is advisable for the baal habayis to add some wine to avoid safeik (שו''ת מנחת יצחק ח''ח סי' י''ד, שו''ת שלחן הלוי ח''א בירורי הלכה סי' ה').
21. Kedem grape juice. Some grape juice, e.g., Kedem grape juice, says it is made from grape juice and also “grape juice from concentrate.” Many people ask if this involves the above shaila whether one may make Kiddush on reconstituted grape juice.
22. In practice, all Kedem grape juice is made from at least 70% natural grape juice, in line with the kashrus policy of the Eidah Chareidis. Once there is already 70% natural grape juice, some companies add 30% water, while others, such as Kedem, include both water and reconstituted grape juice in the remaining 30%, enabling them to get a uniform flavor in all their products. Thus, the bracha is Borei Pri HaGafen and it is fit for Kiddush according to all opinions, even the Beis Yosef (above, 12). The only opinion it does not satisfy is the machmir opinion that one must specifically use 100% natural juice (above, 10). [When the label says “100% pure, it does not mean it is 100% grape juice; just that it is 100% pure or natural (above, 15).]
