Because of wine's special role in many non-Jewish religions, the
kashrut laws specify that wine cannot be considered kosher if it might have been used for
idolatry. These laws include prohibitions on
Yayin Nesekh ( – "poured wine"), wine that has been poured to an idol, and
Stam Yeynam (), wine that has been touched by someone who believes in idolatry or produced by non-Jews. When kosher wine is
yayin mevushal ( – "cooked" or "boiled"), it becomes unfit for idolatrous use and will keep the status of
kosher wine even if subsequently touched by an idolater. While none of the ingredients that make up wine (
alcohol,
sugars,
acids and
phenols) is considered non-kosher, the
kashrut laws involving wine are concerned more with who handles the wine and what they use to make it. Wine that is described as "
kosher for Passover" must have been kept free from contact with
chametz and
kitnios. This would include grain, bread, and dough as well as legumes and corn derivatives. Dorff noted that not all wines are made by automated processes, and thus the reasoning behind Silverman's responsum was not conclusively reliable in all cases. On the other hand, Dorff points out that even if we can avoid the issue of "wine handled by a gentile", there is a separate prohibition against wine produced from wineries owned by a gentile, in which case automation is irrelevant, and all non-certified wines are prohibited. Therefore, he explored the possibility to change the halacha, arguing that the prohibition no longer applies. He cites rabbinic thought on Jewish views of Christians, also finding that most
poskim refused to consign Christians to the status of idolater. Dorff then critiqued the traditional halakhic argument that avoiding such wine would prevent
intermarriage. Dorff asserted, however, that those who were strict about the laws of
kashrut were not likely to intermarry, and those that did not follow the laws would not care if a wine has a
heksher or not. He also noted that a number of non-kosher ingredients may be used in the manufacturing process, including animal blood. Dorff concluded a number of points including that there is no reason to believe that the production of such wines is conducted as part of pagan (or indeed,
any) religious practice. Most wines have no non-kosher ingredients whatsoever. Some wines use a non-kosher ingredient as part of a fining process, but not as an ingredient in the wine as such. Dorff noted that material from this matter is not intended to infiltrate the wine product. The inclusion of any non-kosher ingredient within the wine occurs by accident, and in such minute quantities that the ingredient is nullified. All wines made in the US and Canada may be considered kosher, regardless of whether or not their production is subject to rabbinical supervision. Many foods once considered forbidden if produced by non-Jews (such as
wheat and oil products) were eventually declared kosher. Based on the above points, Dorff's responsum extends this same ruling to wine and other grape-products. However, this teshuvah also notes that this is a lenient view. Some Conservative rabbis disagree with it, e.g.
Isaac Klein. As such Dorff's teshuvah states that synagogues should hold themselves to a stricter standard so that all in the Jewish community will view the synagogue's kitchen as fully kosher. As such, Conservative synagogues are encouraged to use only wines with a hekhsher, and preferably wines from Israel. ==Regional kosher wine consumption==