FAQ: Why isn’t all wine vegan?

At a recent virtual Happy Hour, one of the wines we were drinking had a cute little “Vegan” logo on it. When I mentioned it, one of the participants asked, “Wait a minute, isn’t all wine vegan?” And the short answer is: nope. Traditionally, wine isn’t vegan (and sometimes not even vegetarian *gasp!*). This post breaks down the aspects of the winemaking process that use animal products, and gives tips and tricks on finding vegan-friendly wines.

Fining

Fining is a stage of the wine clarification process where a substance is added to the wine to remove any suspended particles. This eliminates things like lees or bacteria, and can help soften excessive or harsh tannins. This part of the process generally happens just before a wine is bottled and is said to improve clarity and flavour.

If we want to get really technical, the fining agent bonds to the particles so that they precipitate out of the solution. That means the fining agent essentially acts like a magnet, attracting particles of the opposite charge and pulling them to the bottom of the tank.

Wine will self-clarify over time, but as we know, time is money. If a winemaker wants to bring a wine to market quicker, fining will accelerate this process.

Fining agents

Fining agents generally fall into two categories: organic compounds and mineral materials. The former are the culprits for making wines not vegan, so let’s take a closer look.

Egg whites

Egg whites, aka albumen, have been used as a fining agent for centuries. In Italy and France, egg whites were traditionally added to red wine barrels so they would bind to suspended proteins in the wine. Once they dropped to the bottom, the wine would be racked, i.e. strained off the sludge. Ta-da! Fine(d) wine! In all seriousness though, egg whites do a great job of softening a red wine’s tannic astringency.

Interestingly, and not surprisingly, with all the egg whites used in the winemaking process, egg yolks are the key ingredient in many traditional desserts in these old-world winemaking regions. One example is the canelé de Bordeaux, a rum and vanilla pastry. Waste not, want not, right?

Gelatin

Yup, the very same animal-derived compound that makes Jello and gummy bears also helps clarify wines and remove bitterness from tannins in red wines.

Isinglass

While it sounds like it could be part of a Harry Potter spell, isinglass is actually made of the dried swim bladders of fish (I can hear all the vegans squirming from here) and is a type of gelatin. Used to remove yeast protein particles, it was commonly used to clarify cloudy beers and white wines, but with advances in filtration technology, it is used far less these days. However, it is still part of the brewing process for Guinness, so that one’s out for strict vegans.

Casein

This milk protein is used to clarify white wines and reduce potential browning due to oxidation.

Mineral materials (i.e. vegan friendly)

Bentonite is a type of absorbent clay used to clarify red and white wines.

Kieselsol is a silicate suspension that fines low-tannin reds and whites.

PVPP, short for polyvinylpolypyrolidone, is a synthetic creation that removes excessive bitterness in red wines.

Vegan wines

Let’s be clear: none of these components are actually ingredients in the wine. While animal compounds may be used as part of the winemaking process, research shows that only trace amounts of these materials actually remain in the wine. Since fining agents precipitate out of solution, they are not actually considered wine additives.

That said, due to labelling laws in many countries, any allergens a wine comes in contact with must be clearly identified.

If you are a strict vegan but love wine, then you’ll want to look for that little Vegan logo to ensure what you’re drinking is in line with your values. You can also seek out low-intervention, natural wines, since these are generally unfined and unfiltered.

Vegan wine label keywords

Here are some buzzwords to look for on the label if you want a vegan wine:

• “Unfined” or “unfiltered” (keep in mind that these wines will likely be hazy or cloudy)
• “Natural”
• “Low-intervention”
• “Kosher”
• “Vegan-friendly” (duh)

If you have questions about a specific wine, your best bet is to check the tech sheet on the winery’s website.

Looking for Canadian vegan wines? Here is a by-no-means-exhaustive list of wineries producing vegan-friendly wines:

Need more ideas? Check out The Social Herbivore and Barnivore to see if your favourite wines/wineries are vegan.

Whether you’re vegan or not, it’s always good to learn more about how the things we consume are made. Now if you need me, I’ll be over here eating shepherd’s pie with my vegan-friendly wine 😉

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