Vegan wines are not just for Vegans

Vegan wines are not just for Vegans

Over the last year or so I’ve had enquiries from people interested in vegan wines. An initial trickle grew to a flood. Hence here’s all the information you might want about vegan wine, whether you are a vegan or not. What makes a wine vegan?

A Vegan definition

The Vegan Society defines Veganism as “A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. By extension, it promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”

Veganism is now A Thing

Veganism has moved out of Bohemia and become A Thing, with a worldwide surge in the numbers of vegans. In the UK, vegans are now 1% of the population, a 360% rise over the last ten years. 42% of these are aged 15-34, and 63% are female. 88% live in towns and cities and almost a quarter are in London. These Ipsos MORI statistics also mean Veganism is now a profitable commercial market segment for food retailers and restaurants. And of course, many non-vegans enjoy vegan food and drinks. Neilson estimates the US vegan market is now worth more than $5 billion annually.

Perhaps you joined in with Veganuary, inspiring people to try vegan as a New Year’s Resolution?

No wonder then that vegan wines, beers and liquors are now bona fide business opportunities.

Hence there are wines now being marketed explicitly as Vegan. For example, The Co-op intends to stock 100 vegan wines; Majestic has over 30, the Wine Society more than 200. Barnivore lists more than 36,000 wines, beers and liquors. Many supermarkets and independents now feature and promote vegan wines. In fact, entirely new ranges are appearing, such as “Proudly Vegan” from Broadland Wineries.

Bear in mind that vegan wines are, in fact, nothing new. However, vegan wine marketing and branding is.

What makes wine vegan (or not)?

Back to the definition, a vegan wine must not derive from animals, in whole or in part. Sounds easy then, and I was recently asked, “surely all wine is vegan?” Our perception of wine is as a single wholesome beverage made from plants.

In reality, wine is a complex mix of chemicals, dissolved in water and alcohol. If you use animal manure as fertiliser in the vineyard, then that’s not vegan. If you employ a horse to pull a plough in the vines, then it isn’t vegan. Anyone using cow horns in Biodynamics isn’t vegan either. And no, it doesn’t matter if there are no measurable traces of any animal products left in the final wine. If animals have been used somewhere in the process, then it isn’t vegan.

However,  the real impact is mostly down to winemaking and specifically a process called fining. A new wine after fermentation is deeply unpleasant. It’s cloudy, with spent yeast cells, bacteria and plant matter and it smells rank. With time, these nasties fall away and eventually reveal the beverage you know and love. However, the time this takes to occur naturally costs money and cash flow. Also, 99% of wines are made to be drunk young; stable, star-bright wines without deposits that won’t change in the bottle.

While racking, centrifuges and filters can remove the gross stuff; they can’t filter out some of the tiniest molecules that can cause problems with odour, taste and colour.

Fining

Fining is, in fact, an ancient and straightforward process for clarification and stabilisation. It prevents haze, fixes colour and sometimes removes excess bitter tannins. It can also be used to remove some faults from poor winemaking. Fining can be applied before or after fermentation, or just before bottling.

The culprit is a mix of various polymers, polyphenols, pigments and proteins created during fermentation. These colloids are microscopic and too small to be filtered out. Some of these are unstable and they gradually become visible as a hazy cloud or browning and may also be malodorous. Over time, these would usually settle out naturally, but that could take months or even years.

Fining speeds the whole thing up with very little extra expense or effort. The principle is easy. These colloids carry either a positive or negative electrical charge. Hence when young they initially repel one another and remain invisible. However, over time this charge is lost. When this denaturing happens, the colloids clump together in a visible haze. That doesn’t look good on a supermarket shelf!

Using fining agents with the opposite charge to the colloids is one solution. As opposite charges attract, this either causes the colloids to clump together or adhere to the agent, then they fall out of the wine. There is, however, no single fining agent that does everything.

The key therefore to vegan wine is the fining agent. Fining wine has been commonplace for centuries. While they leave no or only minuscule traces in the wine afterwards, that’s not the point. As you have no doubt guessed by now, many of these agents come from animals!

Fining Agents

Those sourced from animals

Let’s start with those derived from animals. Never vegan, but sometimes vegetarian.

Blood, (positive charge). The blood from Oxen was once widely used for red and white wine, either in liquid or powder form. The blood proteins act as a coagulant. Thankfully banned in Europe in 1987 after BSE/CJD. Unless you a drinker of old bottles, it’s unlikely you will encounter such wines.

Gelatine, (positive charge). Made from the bones, tissues and hides of animals such as cattle, pigs, fish, chicken, and even crustacean skeletons.  As well as jelly, you’ll also find gelatine widely used in sweets, ice cream, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. These days, some cattle tissue is banned to ensure no transmission of BSE/CJD. While there are also non-animal alternatives now such as Agar, derived from seaweed, that’s usually for culinary use.

Isinglass, (positive charge). Collagen, made from the swim bladders of fish, is used for white wines and some beers. Initially, it was from the Sturgeon, though now it’s usually Cod.

Casein/Milk, (positive charge). Usually used for white wines to control browning and hazing, or to remove tannins from reds. They strip valuable colour, aroma and flavour if used in excess. Again, protein acts as a coagulant. Casein is suitable for vegetarians, though a small number of people are allergic to it.

Egg White/Albumin, (positive charge). Used to clarify red wines in barrel. Vegetarian if eggs are the source, but of course not vegan. Again, albumin is potentially allergenic.

Those sourced from minerals or plants

And now those that have a mineral or plant source, so are acceptable to vegans and vegetarians.

Bentonite, (negative charge). This mineral alternative is in frequent use for reds and whites. It does need careful use because too much also strips out aromas, colour and flavours. Bentonite is a mineral clay that forms from weathered volcanic ash. First mined in Wyoming in the USA, that’s still the biggest producer. Bentonite is an adsorber with extensive use outside winemaking and brewing, for example in oil drilling. You’ll also find it in pet-litter and laxative!

Silica Sol, (negative charge). Sometimes known as Kieselsol, this silica powder has a similar use to Bentonite.

Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein (HVP, positive charge). Pea protein is a non-allergenic fining agent, legalised by the EU in 2006.  Vegecoll^® uses patatin, extracted from potatoes. A substitute for animal-derived products.

Activated Charcoal, (no charge) removes off-odours.

PVPP (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone, no charge) is a man-made polymer similar to nylon, also known as E1202. It prevents browning and removes off-odours.

For me, using nothing at all remains the best method! These wines are “accidentally” vegan. They have either settled naturally over time or will develop in the bottle. Skilful winemakers do less in the winery, not more! However, please be aware that “Natural”,”Organic” and “Biodynamic” wines are not necessarily vegan!

Packaging vegan wines

How far does vegan-friendly wine go? Look at the recent reaction to the animal fat used in the new “plastic” £5 and £10 notes! Hence lifestyle vegans will also want to know about the glue used for the label and packaging as well as the wine. Agglomerate corks may not be vegan either, depending on the binding agent used. Dietary vegans might have a more relaxed attitude. Watch out too for big producers that make both vegan and non-vegan wines as there is the possibility of cross-contamination.

How do you find vegan wines?

Vegan wines are available at virtually all price points. Back labels on bottles may give clues. For example, premium wines may state “no fining or filtering”. However, producers still need to do much more to be clear about veganism. Meanwhile, the regulators don’t help either, as many fining agents don’t have to be declared, particularly if there is no residue in the wine. Only traces of milk or eggs need to be declared in Europe because these are potential allergens.

Better if the label states “suitable for vegans”. The Vegan Society or a similar body may also add a trademark. Thankfully, new marketing means that vegan wines are becoming easier to spot, in supermarket aisles, at independents and online. Check out online resources like Vivino, Wine-searcher and Barnivore. If all else fails, ask an independent merchant; if they don’t know, then they should!

Vegan wines: do they taste better?

As with any other wine category, there are superb examples and absolute duffers. But vegan wines aren’t just for vegans! Fining may improve wine quality when used with moderation and care, or ruin it when used to excess. As usual, there are superb producers and poor ones. Consequently, a vegan wine is not an assurance in itself of great taste and flavour!

So what you need now are some Vegan Wine recommendations. Click for ten compelling examples.