Wait!!! Wine is not vegan?

Posted by Alicia Turner
5
Jan 16, 2022
244 Views


If like me you believed all wine is vegan, you may be for a rude awakening. If you consider yourself a respectable wine aficionado of note, then it is imperative to sharpen your wine knowledge about sustainable vegan wine.

Here's all you need to know about how to discern the difference between vegan wine and regular wine, whether you're flexitarian, vegetarian, vegan, or just trying to accommodate guests.

Here's all you need to know about how to discern the difference between vegan wine and regular wine, whether you're flexitarian, vegetarian, vegan, or just trying to accommodate guests.

Fining Process

Wine is vegan only in a limited portion of the production process. Grape harvesting, pressing, and fermenting are all considered vegan-friendly practices. Only one stage of the process, termed 'fining,' involves animal products on occasion.

The term "fining" refers to the process of removing contaminants from wine in order to make it clearer and more stable. Please bear with us while we get a bit technical. Egg whites, gelatine, or a milk derivative are traditionally added to the wine. This binds to soluble contaminants (tannins, proteins, and phenols), which you can't filter out. The fining agent, as well as the contaminants, are then removed from the wine.


Vegan wine may be prepared in one of two ways: with a vegan-friendly fining agent like clay, or by allowing the wine to develop (ferment) for a bit longer and skipping the fining process entirely.

Taste Test

Vegan items, such as vegan bacon, have been reported to have a distinct flavor from normal bacon. Is this true, though, for wine?

Vegan items are thought to taste worse than conventional ones, which is a frequent misperception. Although this may be true in a few cases (for example, some vegan hams), it is not true in the case of vegan wine.

Nobody should have to settle for a bad-tasting wine merely to be cruelty-free or healthy, and the good news is that you don't have to.

Vegan wine tastes exactly like ordinary wine since the animal products used in the fining process are filtered out or evaporated, and have no effect on the wine's overall flavor.

The only difference between it and conventional wine is the sort of fining agents employed - and regardless of whether the fining agents contain fish bladder gelatin or clay mineral, the overall product will taste the same.

In fact, you've probably consumed vegan wine without even recognizing it because many vintners and winemakers don't publicize the fact that their wine is vegan on the label.

However, if you choose a wine that hasn't been finned, you could perceive a slight difference.

Unfined wine often contains bolder and more complex tastes that are better suited to more experienced palates.

Rumour has it

It has been said to reduce inflammation, blood clotting, and enhance heart health when used in moderation. To have bright, young skin and a healthy heart, one can drink vegan wine. If ever there was a reason to pour a glass of vegan wine, it would be now.

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