Discovering That the Kiddush Wine Has Turned

If one makes Kiddush on wine Friday night and then discovers the wine is spoiled, do you have to remake Kiddush? What if it turns out to be whiskey?

The gemara[1] cites the passuk of זכור את יום השבת לקדשו as the source that Kiddush must be recited on wine and thus the Kiddush on Friday night is comprised of both ברכת המצוה – מקדש השבת as well as a ברכת הנהנין -בורא פרי הגפן . Yet, the core Torah obligation one fulfills when reciting the bracha of מקדש השבת in the Shemoneh Esrei of Friday night.[2] The Shulchan Aruch[3] writes that if one recited Kiddush on a cup of wine and the wine spills before he is able to drink, he should quickly bring another cup of wine say בורא פרי הגפן but there is no need to repeat the bracha of מקדש השבת, because he sanctified the Shabbos upon a cup of wine.

The Magen Avraham[4] cites from the Terumas Hadeshen that if one realizes that the cup upon which they recited Kiddush contained water and not wine, Kiddush must be recited again on a cup of wine. He writes that although Kiddush on wine is only rabbinic,[5] nevertheless, to properly fulfill this obligation one must repeat Kiddush on wine. He adds that under normal circumstances a ברכת הגפן must be said as well. If, however, there was wine present on the table, and he intended to drink that wine as well, then the bracha of הגפן need not be repeated on the new cup of wine. However, the Taz [6] believes that so long as there was wine on the table that was fresh (unlike the contents of the cup), there is no need to recite any new bracha at all as both the ברכת הנהנין as well as the ברכת המצוה can attach themselves to the good wine that was on the table at the time of kiddush. The Mishnah Berura[7] cites both opinions but does not come to a clear decision and as such it would be best for one to extract himself from this problem entirely by hearing Kiddush from someone else.

In an instance where there was no other wine on the table, then all agree that the brachos of Kiddush must be repeated. But this is true only if the wine is spoiled to the point that it is truly vinegar and thus not kosher for Kiddush and no longer הגפן [8]. If, however, the wine is in the process of fermenting to vinegar, and one is not certain if it can still be considered wine, one would need not repeat Kiddush if he drank that liquid. This is because the Kiddush he recited on the wine/vinegar may have been acceptable, coupled with the fact that he recited Kiddush in the davening.[9]

The Mishna Berura[10] also addresses a situation whereby one realizes after completing Kiddush that what he assumed to be wine was in fact whiskey. He writes that while he does not need a new cup because one can fulfill their obligation with חמר מדינה [11] a bracha of שהכל must be said prior to drinking the whiskey. However, there are two interesting points discussed by the Poskim in regard to a situation like this. Firstly, the gemara[12] records a debate as to the proper order of the two brachos of Kiddush. Beis Shammai holds that מקדש השבת precedes הגפן while Beis Hillel holds that הגפן is said first based upon the rules of תדיר קודם. The Shulchan Aruch Harav[13] assumes that if one reverses the order in adherence with the opinion of Beis Shammai they have not fulfilled the mitzvah. However, in this scenario where clearly his intent was not to follow Beis Shammai and it was due to his mistake that the ברכת הנהנין is said at the end, it is acceptable to recite the brachos out of order.[14] A second question, should one say ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו being that the bracha of הגפן was לבטלה as per the Shulchan Aruch[15] that one should say ברוך שם after a mistaken bracha, or should it be omitted because it can serve as an unnecessary interruption between the bracha of מקדש השבת and drinking from the cup? Rav Henkin [16] writes that he should only say ברוך שם after saying the proper bracha on the whiskey and taking a drink to avoid the question of interruption.[17]

[1] Pesachim 106a

[2] See Magen Avraham 271:1

[3] 271:15

[4] 271:32

[5] See “Making Kiddush on Whiskey”

[6] 271:19

[7] 271:78

[8] See Shulchan Aruch 272: 1, Mishna Berura 4

[9] Sefer Birchas Habayis 46:29

[10] 271:78

[11] See “Making Kiddush on Whiskey”

[12] Pesachim 114a

[13] 473:6

[14] See Shulchan Aruch 271:10,15, Tehilla L’Dovid 15.

[15] 206:6

[16] Gevuros Eliyahu 37:5

[17] See Rambam Brachos 6:1 and Chayei Adam 5:1 who assert that that ברוך שם be said immediately after the ברכה לבטלה. However, in extenuating circumstances Poskim allow for a delay, see Minchas Yitzchak 7:3.