WARNING : Shemita wines being sold in NY/NJ

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. How does wine made from grapes grown during shmitta need to be handled?

lakewhut: True but their are certain halachos regarding using it for cooking, not to use it for havdalah if your makpid to overflow the kos, making sure to drink the entire bottle.

So, you be careful. Do you even have to keep Shemita in חו”ל?

Klugeryid – you need to let it spoil on its own before you can spill it out or dispose of it double wrapped so the rest of the garbage doesn’t come in contact with it.

Shemita products can’t be exported from Eretz Yisrael according to halacha (except for a mitzvah like Esrogim) which is probably why the American kashrus agencies don’t certify it.

You also have to decide if you would rely on the heter mechirah under which some of those grapes were harvested by Jews during shmittah. That is a huge shaila to ask your LOR. The question of how much you can pay for these wines, Otzar Beis Din as well, can come into play.

Thank you for bringing up this important issue. Kedushas shviis is part of the fruit/vegetable regardless of where you are.

It’s appalling that people here would intentionally avoid drinking Shmittah wine and eating produce from Israel just because you aren’t familiar with the Halachot. Consider it a learning opportunity.

shmitah wine that is passed time of BIUR and was not hefker at that time [pesach after shmitah-2016] is forbidden and should be spilled even if it is not spoiled. besides the iusur of wine after biur any wine that is sold in stores are not allowed to be bought because of isur SCHORAH it is not allowed to be sold for profit, also according to many rishonim it is asur because of SHOMUR and NEVAD. also any wine sold in stores even if it states an OTZAR BEIS DIN it is phony; to sell an otzar beis din is not allowed to sell in regular maner only to distribute for the benefit of the people and collect minimum expenses.
BOTTOM LINE -any shmitah wine should definitely be avoided and if bought by mistake should be spilled immediately.

Zvika – I suggest you read the article on the MK’s website (linked above) re: the Bi’ur issue – they note that as the wine was not ready then, it was still in the hands of the Otzar Beis Din at the zman bi’ur, which is considered to be in the hands of the public – so as it was not in the possession of any one individual then, there was no need for bi’ur. The MK article also address the other issues you mention.

Also, you are dead wrong on the treatment of something that was chayav in bi’ur and it wasn’t done. it CAN NOT be spilled out or otherwise destroyed, as it’s still Kedushas Shvi’is, but it also can not be used. It has to be put aside until it spoils on its own, and can only then be disposed of. As it relates to wine in sealed bottles, this is a problem, as the wine will generally not spoil for decades or longer if left alone – so the individual has to leave it on its own essentially forever…

an Israeli Yid

Zvika, these are major batei din you are being mevazeh. Please hold your opinion on major rabbanim to yourself.

I got a similar psak as anIsraeliyid regarding keeping wine. I received a bottle of heter mechirah wine many years back and our Rav told us that we cannot spill it and must keep it, basically as a yerusha for our children. It is on a shelf in my closet.

Nechomah – Heter Mechira wine, when received as a gift prior to the Zman Bi’ur, is actually Muttar to drink since it’s only mekach u’memkar that’s Assur for Peiros Shvi’is – and if you’ve received it for free, you did nothing wrong. The issue is if it’s after the zman bi’ur, since if the Heter Mechira is not good (a separate conversation), then it’s peiros shvi’is that did not go throguh bi’ur when required – and are therefore assur to you forever – but also can’t be destroyed as they have kedushas shvi’is.

BTW, the psak I got on something like this is that since there are rabbanim whom one can be somech on for the heter mechira – including Rav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L, one is allowed to give such a product to someone who does use heter mechira for that person to use. As always, though, ask your local orthodox rabbi.

an Israeli Yid

gaon- you are making a very big mistake nobody sells the whole Israel as only the owner could sell his property. those that do heter michirah sell their property by the rabbanut. as we sell the chometz by a rav. [this is considered heter mechirah klalli as opposed to the earlier matirim witch did a mechirah prati-privete with a goy.]
regardless if the heter mechirah has any effect [the chazon ish rav elyashiv and most poskim held that it does not for many reasons] if it has otzar beis din then obviously the owners did not make mechirah

yisrael yid – true selling or doing an issur with shviis wine does not change the status; if it was in the hands of an reliable hechsher at time of biur then we are meikel that it is considered hefker since the otzar beis din are not owners only as shluchim of the zibur; and we rely on the ramban and rash that peiros that werw hefker at time of biur doas not become asur. it should be noted that according to most sfardim it is asur even if it was hefker as is the opinion of the rambam and many rishonim.
the main problem is that an otzar beis din is not hokus pokus; the whole heter of otzar beis din is not clear cut; there is no clear mkor for the otzar beis din that we have now days; although it is based on a tosefta according to the explanation of some rishonim; others explain the tosefta differently also the rambam does not mention otzar beis din- evan those that were matir theotzar beis din as the chazon ish [and rabbanim; of eideh chareidis for esrogim only] was on condition that it is not sold regularly in stores prices have to be cheaper.
for the above reasons there are hardly wines sold by otzar beis din; and some [even those that have good hechsharim the otheryears do heter mechirah in shmitah] since these wines are being sold by the componey regular in the stores according to all major poskim in eretz yisroal can not be considered that it was in hands of otzar beis din.
regarding destroying wine after biur- I don’t know what you heard from your rabaaim but the halacha is very clear – before zman biur there is an isur of ‘hefsed peiros shviis’ but anything that is chayev biur could be mvuer the way it is; just like chametz erev pesach is not baal tashcis and just like trumah that has to be burnt as trumah has the exact same kdusha as shviis as is clear in the Mishnah. you could open up mishnaus and all rishonim as well as rambam and nosei keilim in hilchos biur; and it is clear that at time of biur everything has to be destroyed without mention of spoiling.
I am absolutely sure of the psak from elyashiv and I remember all the detailes it was a few shmitos ago [1994] and the chidush was that he said to spill the wine just because the biur wasn’t done properly [it was done by shliach]

And again !! Checking out the matzav in Passaic and sure enough, I counted 4 different Shemitta wines available !