Vegan wine
More and more people are interested in becoming vegan. And lots of vegan food is now also available in supermarkets. This includes wines that are described as vegan on the label. But wine is a product made from grapes, so isn't it a purely vegetable-based, vegan product anyway? We’ll explain all.
The key points
- Wine is produced from grapes or grape must, which makes it essentially plant-based.
- During clarification, animal products such as egg or milk proteins as well as gelatine may be used.
- Lots of winegrowers choose not to add animal products and use plant-based alternatives.
- Some winemakers rely on natural clarification by letting the lees settle in the wine.
Wine isn’t always vegan – so why vegan wine?
Under EU Regulation 1308/2013, wine is a “...product obtained exclusively from the total or partial alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes, whether or not crushed, or of grape must.” The word “exclusively” clearly shows that no additional ingredients are intended for the production of wine. This therefore also excludes any ingredients of animal origin. Wine is therefore most certainly a purely vegetable-based product. But this does not mean, when being produced, that wine does not come into contact with other animal-based products during its production. Some traditional wine making processes do actually exist in which these substances are used.
Which animal-based products may be used in winemaking?
When it comes to clarifying the wine, in other words removing cloudy substances, wine producers sometimes use animal proteins such as egg or milk proteins. In the past, it was very common to clarify wine using isinglass, which is protein granules produced from the dried swim bladder of sturgeon. However, gelatine made from animal-based material containing collagen is also widely used, in particular for red wines. But what you need to understand is that all these substances of animal origin don’t remain in the wine, but are removed again by filtration.
When is wine vegan?
From a legal perspective, these are not actually ingredients but technical additives – when the wine is bottled, none of these substances are left in the wine. However, for many vegans, the mere thought that they have come into contact with the drink is a real ‘no go’. Increasing numbers of wine producers are therefore avoiding these additives and moving over to plant-based protein alternatives such as peas, beans and potatoes. This means that when describing their products as vegan on the label, they really can do this with their conscience clear.
However, even though the word may not specifically appear on the label, many wines are produced as vegan anyway, without winemakers explicitly mentioning this. This is because many winemakers are now entirely avoiding clarification using traditional additives and, instead, are simply waiting for the cloudiness in the wine to settle naturally at the base of the barrel.
The author
Frank Kämmer
I have worked for many years in high-end restaurants and in this time became one of the top sommeliers in Europe. In 1996, I achieved the title of Master Sommelier, the highest international qualification in my profession. Today, I work primarily as a consultant in the international wine and gastronomy sector. I have also published numerous books on wines and spirits and was the first German to be accepted into the British Circle of Wine Writers.
