What is vegan wine?

Wine culture carries deep meanings, is reflected in many epics, songs, and poems, and contains many details and subtle details. Wine culture is something else. The wine culture has many confusing elements such as grape years, regions, varieties, etc. However, today we will not talk about wine, but about the information that interests us vegans and vegetarians: What is vegan wine?

Contents

Most people are not interested in how the products they eat and drink are produced. One of these products is wine. But as vegans and vegetarians, we need to pay attention to whether almost all the products we eat and drink are vegan or not.

Basically, wine production is based on the fermentation of grapes. Therefore, wine is a plant-based product. But why should there be anything at all from animals in fermented grape juice?

Why is wine not vegan?

If you study wine production in detail, you will quickly discover that wine is not vegan because animal proteins have been used in the clarification process of wines for centuries. The most commonly used for this purpose is egg white. Less frequently, protein from fish bladders, gelatin, or casein obtained from skim milk is also used.

Clarification and stabilization of wine

What do clarification and stabilization of wine mean? If egg whites are added to a still cloudy wine, the proteins bind the cloudy substances and settle at the bottom of the barrel or tank. The clear wine can then be drawn off from the top. Thus, although nothing of the animal aids should remain in the finished wine, they naturally come into contact with it. And anyone who takes their vegan diet seriously will want to avoid them themselves.

Vegan red wines are treated with the help of fining agents of non-animal origin. Among these are bentonite, activated charcoal, vegetal gelatin, or vegetable protein from peas, beans, and potatoes.

Charcoal (Active)

Activated charcoal is another popular choice among vegans and vegetarians because it can absorb unwanted colors from wine without altering the flavor.

Bentonite

Bentonite is a type of clay that is very effective at absorbing the smallest particles that cause the wine to appear cloudy rather than its bright, clear tone. It is a popular choice among winemakers.

Proteins from peas

Pea proteins are also popular because they act similarly to gelatin but not as well.

Fining by Nature

The growing popularity of vegan wine has also prompted many winemakers to return to natural self-fining without the use of agents, giving wine drinkers an even more natural appeal.

Is vegan wine better for you?

Just because a wine is vegan does not mean that it is a good quality wine. This also applies to vegan wines that are classified as organic. One should not let these awards cloud one’s clear view of the facts. While they provide important information on the production method and ingredients, they are always also sales-promoting marketing tools.

What do you think about this subject? Leave a comment.

Check out our other articles about veganism and vegetarianism.

Check out my vegan and vegetarian recipes: