Sure, we know what vegan food is. And even vegan fashion. But what the heck is vegan wine?
By Chere Di Boscio
By now, we all know what vegan leather is, and can usually tell the difference between that and dead animal leather. But vegan food can be a bit of a mine field. Does that cheese-less pizza have egg in its base? Does that veggie curry have ghee lurking in the sauce? Is that sugar-free muffin sweetened with honey?
As a lifelong vegetarian, I thought I knew about vegans’ needs pretty well. That is, until I had dinner with one who asked for vegan wine. At first I thought he was taking the mickey. I mean, what the heck is vegan wine? How could that even exist, since all wine is, by definition, obviously made of grapes?
But then he enlightened me on a few fishy facts about booze.
Not Just Grapes
For example, he told me that the winemaking process often involves loads of animal parts, including eggs, blood, oils, bone marrow and gelatin – which we all know is found in animal bones and hooves. And during the winemaking process, the grape-based liquid is filtered through substances called “fining agents.” This process is used to remove protein, yeast, cloudiness, “off” flavours and colourings, and other organic particles.
But guess what? Those agents are never on the label. In fact, they’re often considered to be ‘trade secrets’!
And get this: a typical bottle of champagne or white wine may have been made with up to 60 additives.
These could include egg white (used as a fining agent), milk products (to adjust flavours) and gelatine (to clarify champagne). As if that’s not bad enough, bull’s blood was traditionally used as a filtration method – and sometimes still is!
Oh, and the use of fish products in the wine making process is still so common, it’s required now for vineyards to state on the label whether fish was used, to warn those with fish allergies from buying a bottle.
Basically, non-vegan wine can use, or even directly contain:
- bones
- egg white
- gelatine
- milk
- fish scales
- blood
- bone marrow
- fish oil
So how are you to know whether the wine or champagne you love is cruelty-free? Well, there’s basically only one way – ensure it’s labelled as vegan. As mentioned, there’s no requirement for vineyards to list all the ingredients in the bottle, nor do they need to inform you of the process their wine undertakes before reaching the consumer’s table.
Vegan wine brands, on the other hand, are proudly cruelty-free and will say so on the label. One of our favourites? It’s literally called Vegan, by Chateau Pierbone. You can find it on Millesima, which sells loads of fine wines online. You can discover them here.
Not Just Wine
Moving away from the grape, here’s an interesting fact: even beer isn’t always vegan friendly. For example, did you know that Guinness isn’t vegan friendly because it uses isinglass, which is made from the swim bladders of fish. Although there isn’t a trace of it in the beer, it is used directly in the process of making the drink.
And what about mixers for your spirits? Wanna know why Minute Maid’s grapefruit looks so “ruby red”? It’s from cochineal (otherwise known as carmine, or Natural Red 4). Because this dye is made from an insect called the cochineal, it isn’t, of course, vegan friendly in any way. Make sure to check the label on any red-hued products you might be using since there’s a possibility, cochineal is one of the ingredients.
The good news is that almost all spirits are vegan, and vegans can certainly find an increasing number of brands they can enjoy!
Do you know of any great vegan wines? Let us know in the comments section. Cheers!
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For vegan wine there is a website called Barnivore that you might like to check. One such company whose wines are stated as vegan is the Bearley Vineyard, near Stratford-upon-Avon in England.
https://www.barnivore.com/wine/7658/Bearley-Vineyard
Climate change has proven beneficial for the English wine-making industry, which is now thriving and from a British perspective should reduce the demand for importing wine from France, Germany, Italy and further afield.