What makes a wine vegetarian or vegan?
- Hannah Lovell
- The World of Slurp
- 28 Jan 2020
- views
You’d be forgiven for assuming that all wines are at least vegetarian. The reason why many wines are not is to do with the ‘fining agents’ used in the clarification process of wine. When new wines are produced they are cloudy due to naturally occurring proteins, yeast and other molecules. To eliminate these molecules and clarify the wine, fining agents such a milk protein, egg whites, or animal proteins are used to bind the molecules together to make them easier to be removed. Although the fining agents are removed during the clarification process, tiny particles can absorb into the wine, meaning it would not technically be vegan or vegetarian.
So how do you make a wine vegetarian or vegan? There are now alternative, non-animal-based fining agents used in wine production such as carbon and clay-based products. There is also the option to eliminate the use of fining agents altogether, the wine will still clarify but can take several months.
How will I know if my wine is vegetarian, vegan or not? At Slurp we have a dedicated selection of vegetarian and vegan wines. At this time producers are not obligated by law to state what fining agents they use so we have done the research for you. Click here to browse our collection.
Written by Zandra Robson
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