Non-Mevushal Wine in a Drink Mix

Q. I made a pitcher of fruit punch using non-mevushal wine, orange juice concentrate, and ginger ale. The wine is about a third of the recipe. Must this drink be treated like non-mevushal wine?

A. Shulchan Aruch (YD 123:4) writes that if honey and pepper are added to non-mevushal wine, to the extent that the taste of the wine is considerably altered, it is no longer treated as non-mevushal wine. There is basis for this ruling from the Talmud Yerushalmi that states that the prohibition of yayin nesech does not apply to “konditon” which is made from one part wine, one part honey, and one part pepper. The Beiur HaGra (123:8) cites a disagreement between the Ramban and Rashba whether the ruling of the Yerushalmi only applies to that exact case, with a mixture of one part honey and one part pepper, or whether any significant amount of honey and spices is enough to change the status of the wine. The Gra infers that Shulchan Aruch follows the lenient ruling of the Rashba, since Shulchan Aruch makes no mention of how much honey and pepper must be added. Apparently, the only requirement is that it be enough to cause a considerable change in taste. The Shach (123:8) points out that the added ingredients need not specifically be honey or pepper. Any ingredient that will give the wine a completely different taste is adequate for it to be treated like wine that is mevushal. With respect to our original question, since orange juice concentrate and ginger ale impart a strong flavor to the wine, this mixture can be considered mevushal.

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