According to Asaph Goor, the Jerusalem Talmud, Bikkurim, chapter 1, Halacha 3, contains a discussion on the question of the propriety of vine offerings to the Temple. It strictly enjoins that only choice and sound grapes from white grape varietals were allowed ... free from plant disease or insect pest, and untreated by spraying or dusting:
One does not offer grapes that have been smoked or dusted. One brings white grapes and grapes of good quality.
After the fall of the Temple, and the expulsion of so many of its Jews from Israel, vineyards were abandoned and destroyed:
Formerly grapes were plentiful...nowadays there are not many (Jerusalem Talmud, Damai, Chapter 1, Halacha 1).
How does this question compare to that of why red wine is prescribed for the seder?
The question was based upon my reading of: "The History of the Grape-Vine in the Holy Land" Author(s): Asaph Goor Source: Economic Botany , Jan. - Mar., 1966, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1966), pp. 46-64. Published by: Springer on behalf of New York Botanical Garden Press Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4252702
