You would be forgiven for assuming certain things about wine – one of them being that wine would be vegan. I mean, wine is made of grapes, right? It would seem like a vegan-friendly beverage, regardless of whether you are vegan or not yourself. But unfortunately for vegans, this is not always the case. So why is not all wine vegan?
Why is all wine not vegan?
The reason behind not all wine being vegan or even vegetarian friendly is because of the way wine is clarified. This is a process called ‘fining’.
When wines are produced, they are usually hazy and contain molecules throughout them that aren’t harmful. But for wine drinkers who are used to wines being clear and bright, they are not ideal.
Over time most wines will self-fine themselves, but we are an impatient bunch and want our wine now. If we waited for long enough, these solids would sink to the bottom of the tank or barrel. So traditionally producers have used a variety of ‘fining agents‘ to help with this process. The agent acts like a magnet to the molecules in the wine, collecting them into larger particles that are easier to remove.
What is included in wine that isn’t vegan?
So what is in these fining agents that make them not so vegan friendly? The most commonly used fining agent traditionally were:
- Casein – a milk protein
- Albumin – egg whites
- Gelatin – animal protein
- Isinglass – fish bladder protein
These agents are not additives to the wine as they are precipitated out along with the molecules that have bound to them. So whilst they may not be present in the wine, there could be tiny traces of them in the wine even after filtration. This is what makes some wines not vegan.
How is vegan wine made?
You may have seen some wines with a label saying they are vegan or vegetarian friendly. These wines are made without animal products by either leaving the particles in the wine or using other fining products. The good news is that vegan wines are becoming more popular, as are unfiltered and unrefined wines which don’t go through the fining process. So there are more options on the market than ever before.
For those that use fining agents still, examples of vegan fining agents are as follows:
- Carbon
- Bentonite clay
- Kaolin clay
- Limestone
- Silica gel
- Plant casein
- Vegetable plaques
How can you tell?
So how do you know if a wine is vegan or not? Well luckily for us in Australia, Australian labelling laws require wine producers to declare the use of processing aids and what they were on the label. The description will also always mention if the wine is ‘not fined’ or ‘not filtered’. Many brands will also put that they are vegan on the label. This isn’t the case for International labelling laws where it is a lot harder to tell if a wine is vegan or not. So stick to Aussie wine if you want to be sure!