301. “Pagum” Wine

45:2 The cup for bentching should be filled before one washes for mayim acharonim. 45:3 If wine has been drunk from, what remains in the cup is called “pagum” (defective). Wine that is pagum may not be used for bentching until it has been rectified by adding more wine or some water that is not pagum. Since the cup needs to be filled specifically for use in bentching, the pagum wine should be poured from the cup into a bottle and from the bottle into the cup to be used for bentching. (The laws of pagum also apply to cups to be used for kiddush and havdalah - Mishnah Brurah 182:17 - but the wine is fit for regular use and one blesses over it as per usual – Shaarei Tziyon 182:15. If one only has pagum wine and no means of rectifying it, it is preferable to use the pagum wine for bentching rather than to discard the use of a cup altogether; if one has a small cup that holds a reviis – about 3.5 ounces – he should pour the wine into the smaller cup as this helps to mitigate the situation – MB 182:32.)