This question is regarding the circumstances that one would recite the b'racha of ha'Tov v'haMeitiv over a second bottle of wine brought to the table.
I've been in houses where the ba'al haBayit was 'nohaig' to make kiddush on a certain type of wine which was not the best he had in the house, and then after kiddush, specifically bring the 2-nd, better quality wine to the table to enable him to make a 2-nd b'racha "haTov v'haMeitiv". From Insights, this seems to be incorrect behavior.
In our house,, the usual case is that most people enjoy (prefer) sweet "kiddush" wine and they feel that's a "better quality" wine (a subjective evaluation based on their taste ) I enjoy a dryer wine (which by all objective standards that I know of, is considered a better quality wine) and after kiddush, I bring the "dinner wine" to the table (I knew that I had the 'dryer' wine available, but I don't always bring it out. I usually decide whether or not to bring it after the first course is completed, based on how I feel about drinking it at that time. Sometimes, I even change my mind, thinking before kiddush that I will bring the better wine, and afterwards, change my mind and don't bring it..and vice versa.)
From Insights, based on the fact that I always know the wine is in the house at the time of kiddush, the 'eitza' seems to be that I should always have in mind the other bottle of wine (even in cases where I do not bring it to the table), and never make the b'racha of "haTov v'haMeitiv". Yet, it also seems that there are opinions on which to rely if one makes a 2-nd b'racha of "haTov v'haMeitiv". What would be the correct procedure?
warm regards,Jeff Ram, Jerusalem
If one follows the simple understanding of the REMA and not the way the Rema is explained by the LEVUSH, then even if you know that the better wine is in the house at the time you make the blessing on the first wine, the blessing "Ha'Tov v'ha'Meitiv" is still recited. (See the second paragraph of section (f) in Insights 59:3).
Practically speaking, if one has fulfilled all the other conditions required in order to recite the blessing (some of the first wine remains, others drink the wine with him, others have a share in the new wine with him, etc.), it seems that one should recite "Ha'Tov v'ha'Meitiv" when the second, better wine is brought out and consumed. (The Levush would say that if one already made a blessing on the inferior wine, one would not recite the new blessing on the better wine, since it was in the house at the time he made his first blessing. On the other hand, the Rema seems to agree that if the better wine is in the house, one should preferably use that wine for the first blessing. It could be, perhaps, that if one has reason to use the inferior wine first (for example, it is sweeter and the children can drink it for Kiddush), then one may do so l'Chat'chilah and say "Ha'Tov v'ha'Meitiv" on the better wine.)
This is not a Halachic ruling, but only what comes out of the way we understood the Sugya. We strongly suggest that you ask your local rabbinic authority for the proper course of action.
All the best,
Y. Shaw