Vegan wine?
Recently we have had lots of requests for vegan wine. And many sommeliers are telling us they are similarly receiving lots of requests for vegan wine.
Isn't all wine vegetarian/vegan?
Well actually no.
Many wines are fined or clarified with meat products. The idea is to add an agent that will bind with sediment.
These agents can include:
- isinglass (fish bladder by-products)
- blood
- egg whites
- casein (milk protein)
- gelatin (derived from bones and connective tissues)
- fish gelatin
- egg albumin
- chitin/chitosan (derived for the shells of crabs or lobsters)
Veganswines are either completely free of fining agents or they use vegan fining agents such as bentonite clay, carbon, diatomaceous earth or kaolin.
Some wine producers have started labelling their products "vegan-friendly". Look out for the Ⓥ symbol, or the words "vegan -friendly" on back labels.
Recently we have started to seek clarification from our producers as to whether their products are vegan-friendly or not. So far we know that the wines of the following are vegan-friendly.
- Champagne Jeeper
- Domaine Roche Audran (Rhone)
- Chateau Haut-Monplaisir (Cahors)
- Chateau Jolys (Jurançon)
- Chateau Tour de Gendres (Bergerac)
If you want to read more, here are two recent articles:
https://www.winemag.com/2018/05/09/vegetarian-vegan-wine/
https://www.foodiful.com.au/articles/843/aussies-want-more-vegan-wine
