Q. What is Horav Miller’s opinion in regards to pasteurized wine. Is it permitted as yain mebushal (cooked wine)?
A. Poskim disagree as to what constitutes yain mevushal. Some maintain that cooked wine was only permitted, because in former times it was uncommon to cook wine (milsa d’lo shechi’ach). However in our days, pasteurization is the norm. Others add that to become mevushal the wine actually has to boil and thus the volume diminished, which is not the case on pasteurized wine cooked under pressure. Moreover, to be considered mevushal, the cooking should cause a noticeable change in the taste, color or aroma of the wine. The process commonly employed today, known as flash pasteurization, is performed in a manner that very quickly heats and then cools the wine, and even connoisseurs debate whether it causes any appreciable effect on the taste of the wine. (Minchas Shlomo 1: 25 quoting Horav Eliashiv zt’l, Ohr Letzion 2; 20; 18, Mincha Yitzchok 7: 61, and others.
However, Igrois Moshe (Y.D. 1: 50), Yabia Omer (Y.D. 8: 15) and others are lenient and the prevalent minhag for many is that pasteurized wine qualifies as mevushal. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt’l required pasteurization to be at a temperature exceeding 175˚ F – 80 ˚C, while the Tzelemer Rov zt’l insisted on a minimum of 190˚ F – 88 ˚C.
The OU permits wines that undergo flash pasteurization as mevushal or mifustar. STAR-K accepts grape juice pasteurized at least at 165˚ F – 74 ˚C as mevushal.
Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that a temperature of 180 ˚ F – 82 ˚C is required.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a