WHY AREN’T ALL WINES VEGAN ?
It would be natural to assume that all wines are vegan because they’re produced from grapes. Don’t be so certain. In this article, you’ll be discovering why all wines aren’t vegan.
Before bottling, they’re pressed into juice; that juice also contains seeds, yeast and skins from the fruit that can work their way into the wine bottle and lead to sediments, making the wine appear hazy. Since most wine enthusiasts like their glasses clear of any sediments, the winemaker has to “clarify” the wine.
What Happens During Fining ?
Winemakers use fining agents; the fining agent acts like a magnet, it attracts the sediments left in the juice after the final blend, they gather up around the fining agent and after that, they’re easily removable.
Today, the most common fining agents are :
- asein, a milk protein
- Gelatin, a protein found in animal bones and hides
- Chitosan, a carbohydrate found in crustacean shells
- Isinglass, a protein found in fish bladders
- Bentonite, purified clay
- Activated charcoal, a carbon
A portion of these fining agents are sourced from animals, and it falls to the winemaker to choose the most suitable one for their wine.. Despite the removal of the fining agents and sediments from the wine, trace amounts of the fining agent may be absorbed into the wine.
How Do You Know If Your Wine Is Vegan ?
Nowadays, wine manufacturers are not obligated to disclose information about the fining agents used or whether their products are suitable for vegans or vegetarians on their labels. However, there is a growing movement among individuals who follow vegan or vegetarian lifestyles, as well as those who produce unfined wines, to advocate for this transparency.
Usually, the label on the bottle will indicate if the wine is“unfined” or “unfiltered”. If a wine is labeled this way, it indicates that it hasn’t undergone fining, resulting in a natural wine free from animal byproducts.
Another thing to look out for is that natural wines may also use vegan alternatives to fine their wine, such as : bentonite clay, which would usually be stated on the label.
Some Delicious Bordeaux Vegan Wine
In 2017, Château Dauzac switched from using egg whites to plant proteins to fine their wines, making their production fully certified vegan and biodiversity-friendly. The Chateau works with a pea paste base instead of traditional white eggs. Château Dauzac is the first Grand Cru Classé to offer a fully certified vegan wine production.
photo credit : Château Dauzac (https://www.chateaudauzac.com/galerie/?lang=en)
