Features
Vegetarian and Vegan Wine
Claire Morrissey is Co-Founder NO COWS a UK-based ethical online store.
"Surely all wine is vegetarian, after all, it's just grapes?" ...Is the response I get from bemused staff when I ask for a glass of vegetarian wine at the pub.
It's surprising to many that the majority of wine on sale in pubs and on the high street have been made using animal products, during 'fining'.
Fining is the clarification process used in wine-making to rid the product of cloudiness and impurities to make it look more appealing. It can also improve the flavour of a wine in poor condition. The array of possible finings used makes for rather unpleasant reading for non meat-eaters (and perhaps for meat-eaters too?) as they can be any of the following:
Alternative finings exist that are acceptable to vegetarians and vegans such as bentonite, kieselguhr or kaolin clays, vegetable plaques and silica gel. And newer methods of fining such as centrifuging and filtering are becoming more popular.
The benefits
Vegetarian and vegan wine allows people to enjoy a glass without compromising their principles. When you're entertaining veggie guests, it's easy to forget that the drink counts as much as the menu. So think ahead and order in a couple of bottles to show what a considerate host you are. Veggie wine also ticks the boxes for those concerned about the environmental impact of the fishing industry or factory farming and encourages all growers to use non-animal derived fining methods. Most importantly of all, vegetarian and vegan wines taste just as great as the ones on the high street, mind you, they still give you a hangover if drunk to excess!
What to look for
The popular wine regions of Languedoc-Roussillon (France), La Mancha and Navarra (Spain) can be relied on for good quality, animal-free wine. For those feeling patriotic, the Horsmonden vineyard in East Sussex makes a very drinkable vegetarian and vegan dry white, produced in a 'Loire' style.
The best place to buy vegetarian and vegan wines is on the internet where you'll find a growing number of specialist suppliers.
Some high street supermarkets, such as the Co-Op, are now clearly stating on their wines which filtration agent has been used. Alternatively, you can check the websites of The Vegetarian Society (www.vegsoc.org) or The Vegan Society (www.vegansociety.com) or consult the Animal Free Shopper book, published annually by the Vegan Society.
Fining is the clarification process used in wine-making to rid the product of cloudiness and impurities to make it look more appealing. It can also improve the flavour of a wine in poor condition. The array of possible finings used makes for rather unpleasant reading for non meat-eaters (and perhaps for meat-eaters too?) as they can be any of the following:
- Gelatine - obtained by boiling animal skin, tendons, ligaments or bones, mainly - used in reds
- Egg white - used to remove harsh tannins in red wines
- Isinglass - a very pure form of gelatine made from fish bladders (especially Beluga sturgeon) - used in reds and whites
- Fish oil
- Chitin or Chitosan - derived from the shells of crabs, shrimps or lobsters
- Milk or modified casein (from milk) - used in whites to remove off colours
Alternative finings exist that are acceptable to vegetarians and vegans such as bentonite, kieselguhr or kaolin clays, vegetable plaques and silica gel. And newer methods of fining such as centrifuging and filtering are becoming more popular.
The benefits
Vegetarian and vegan wine allows people to enjoy a glass without compromising their principles. When you're entertaining veggie guests, it's easy to forget that the drink counts as much as the menu. So think ahead and order in a couple of bottles to show what a considerate host you are. Veggie wine also ticks the boxes for those concerned about the environmental impact of the fishing industry or factory farming and encourages all growers to use non-animal derived fining methods. Most importantly of all, vegetarian and vegan wines taste just as great as the ones on the high street, mind you, they still give you a hangover if drunk to excess!
What to look for
The popular wine regions of Languedoc-Roussillon (France), La Mancha and Navarra (Spain) can be relied on for good quality, animal-free wine. For those feeling patriotic, the Horsmonden vineyard in East Sussex makes a very drinkable vegetarian and vegan dry white, produced in a 'Loire' style.
The best place to buy vegetarian and vegan wines is on the internet where you'll find a growing number of specialist suppliers.
Some high street supermarkets, such as the Co-Op, are now clearly stating on their wines which filtration agent has been used. Alternatively, you can check the websites of The Vegetarian Society (www.vegsoc.org) or The Vegan Society (www.vegansociety.com) or consult the Animal Free Shopper book, published annually by the Vegan Society.
