Thank your for your reply. According to the OU mashgiach at Kedem, Rav Eli Gersten, Kedem sweetens many of its non-mevushal wines with regular sugar (eg Cream Malaga, Rose, Pink, etc). So may they be touched by a nochri? They have some non-mevushal wines labeled "naturally sweetened" - those are sweetened using mevushal grape juice concentrate. What is the status of both with regard to being touch by a nochri? Just fyi, Kedems 1.5 liter bottles are usually non-mevushal. The same wine in a 0.75 liter bottle is usually mevushal. Thank you again, Yaacov

ב"ה Shalom, It seems to me that Rabbi Kirsch pretty much answered your questions so perhaps I will just add a bit more detail. The Rishonim disagree as to the amount of sweetener in the wine needed to exclude it from the category of Yayin Nesech. According the Rambam (הלכות מאכלות אסורות י"א: י) even a small amount of a sweetener already excludes it from the category of Yayin Nesech. However, the Rashba (תורת הבית, בית ה', שער ג',נא, שו"ת הרשב"א חלק ד סימן קמט) disagrees with the Rambam and stipulates that a significant amount of sugar (He actually mentions that a third if the mixture should be the sweetener) is required to exclude it from being Yayin Nesech. The Shulchan Aruch (יורה דעה קכג:ד ) rules like the Rashba that the sweetener must be there in an amount which changes the taste of the wine. Therefore, although I obviously can’t speak on behalf of the OU, it seems their policy is that the added sweetener alone do not render their wines unaffected by the touch by a nochri, and they are affected unless specified as Mevushal. Then again refer to Rabbi Kirsch’s previous answer in regard to the different opinions relating to pasteurized vis-à-vis mevushal wines. לחיים All the best