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At a basic level, wine is a fairly straightforward drink – it’s fermented grape juice. As such, you’d expect it to be vegan. However, winemakers may use animal products during winemaking, making some wines unsuitable for vegetarian and vegan drinkers.
With more wine lovers across the UK adopting a vegan lifestyle, interest in how wine can be enjoyed as part of a plant-based diet has increased. We’ve looked at the most common vegan wine questions to help you find new, delicious vegan wines to enjoy.
What is vegan wine?
The term ’vegan wine’ is used for wines that avoid using animal-derived products throughout the winemaking process. All wines – red, white, rosé or sparkling – can be vegan, provided they stick to vegan-friendly production regulations.
Browse our extensive range of vegan wines.
How is vegan wine made?
There’s a stage in winemaking known as ‘fining,’ which happens once the grape juice has been fermented into wine – and it’s here that wine can often ditch its naturally vegan credentials.
After fermentation, wines can be cloudy with proteins, tannins and other microscopic particles. While natural and harmless, this can affect a wine’s clarity and stability.
To achieve a clear, bright appearance, some winemakers use fining agents to bind these particles together, making it easier to filter them from the wine.
Traditional fining agents are animal-based products, such as egg whites, isinglass (fish bladder proteins) and milk protein. Although these are removed once they’ve done their job, tiny traces may remain in the wine, and because they aren’t additives, they won’t be listed on the label. Nevertheless, this prevents the wine from being labelled as ‘vegan.’
Alternative fining agents
There are two options for winemakers looking to make vegan wines. Wine can be left to stabilise and self-fine over time, meaning no fining agents are used. The downside to this approach is that it’s a slow process.
Many winemakers, therefore, choose alternative, vegan-friendly fining agents, such as bentonite (a type of clay), activated charcoal or plant casein, to achieve the same effect.
What does drinking vegan wine mean?
Vegan wine lovers can enjoy delicious and complex wines without compromising ethics. From an ethical standpoint, vegan wines ensure no animal-derived products are used in their production.
On the environmental front, some vegan winemakers also adhere to organic or biodynamic winemaking practises, emphasising sustainability and a reduced carbon footprint. However, many winemakers focus on organic and sustainable practices regardless of whether they produce vegan or non-vegan wine.
Does vegan wine taste different from non-vegan wine?
Vegan wine tastes the same as non-vegan wine.
A wine’s flavour depends primarily on the grape varieties used and where the grapes were grown. While the winemaking process is also important, any fining agents used are filtered away and have no impact on the overall taste of the wine.
You may notice some taste differences if you try vegan wine that hasn’t been through the fining process at all. Unfined or natural wine can have a stronger, more complex flavour.
Choosing a vegan wine
Wine brands are beginning to recognise the demand for vegan wines as the interest in living a more sustainable, conscious lifestyle increases. The reality is that many wines are vegan-friendly, even if they aren’t explicitly labelled as such.
The labelling of vegan wines or using non-animal fining agents in the UK is not mandatory, but some wine brands may be labelled as ‘unfined/unfiltered’ to indicate that no animal-based fining agents were used during the production of that wine. Another way to tell if a wine is vegan is to look for the round Certified Vegan badge on the back label. And if you’re unsure if a wine is vegan, you could also contact the winemaker for more detailed dietary information.
Five delicious vegan wines for you to try
RedHeads 1888 Shiraz 2021
Sumptuous and full-bodied, RedHeads’ 1888 Shiraz 2021 comes from one of Australia’s leading eco-friendly wineries. This vegan red wine is one-of-a-kind and good for the planet, full of ripe black fruit flavours and topped off with warming spice and black pepper notes from barrel ageing.
Babele Rosé 2021
A dry and succulent Romanian rosé wine full of raspberry, Gala apple and citrus flavours, Babele Rosé 2021 is a must-have for those long summer months. Perfectly paired with summery salads, cheese boards and fresh seafood.
La Voûte 2022
With zesty citrus, orchard fruit and baking spice notes, La Voûte 2022 is a luscious yet elegant Chardonnay. Coming from France’s premium Limoux region, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, it’s a must-try for lovers of fine Chardonnays like white Burgundy.
Alessandro Gallici Prosecco Anniversario NV
Did you know sparkling wine can be vegan too? This limited-edition Alessandro Gallici Prosecco Anniversario NV from Italy isn’t just in line with the hottest wine trends but is also perfect for celebrations of any size. It comes in a gorgeous bottle too!
Antonio Federici Rosso 2021
This silky smooth, cherry-scented blend of Montepulciano and Cesanese has won gold medals for its high quality, attention to detail during the winemaking process and concentrated flavours. Rarely available outside Italy, Antonio Federici Rosso 2021 is worth snapping up.
