Avodah Zarah 66 – What Makes a Mixture Prohibited

If fermented libation wine is mixed with grapes, all agree that since their tastes are distinct, the libation wine makes the grapes forbidden only if one can feel its taste.

If new wine - grape juice within the first thirty days – is mixed with grapes, Abaye says that any amount of wine makes it forbidden, because they have the same taste, and when two foods have the same taste, any amount of forbidden substance makes the mixture forbidden. Rava, however, says that we consider the names, and grapes and wine have different names. Therefore, we consider the two foods different in nature, and if there are 60 times less wine than grapes, the mixture is permitted.

Conversely, if wine vinegar and beer vinegar become mixed, Abaye says that we follow the taste, and since the two tastes are different, the forbidden one is nullified if there is 60 times more of permitted one. Rava still considers the name, and since both are called vinegar, any amount of forbidden vinegar makes the mixture forbidden.

Art: Edward Ladell - A Still Life of Black Grapes, a Peach, a Plum, Hazelnuts, a Metal Casket and a Wine Glass on a Carved Wooden Ledge