When you think about wine, you most likely think that all wine has to be vegan because it’s made from grapes. While this is true to a certain extent, it’s important to note that there are other ingredients involved in the process of wine making. Here is some more details on how wine is made and what vegan wine really is.<\/p>\n
The way in which vegan wine and regular wine can be differentiated is by determining how the wine was fined. Young wines have a hazy appearance and this is because of small molecules like tannins, phenolics and proteins that are floating around. These are natural and they do not cause any harm but they do affect the appearance of the wine. For the most part, if you simply leave your wine, it will self-stabilize and the fining process will take place without any help.<\/p>\n
Wine-makers are usually on a schedule which means that they cannot simply wait for nature to take its course and some help is needed to speed up the fining process. This is done with the help of various agents. These agents are like magnets that attract the molecules floating around in the wine and make it easier to remove. Some of the most commonly used agents include casein (a milk protein), gelatin (animal protein), albumin (egg whites) and isinglass (protein from fish bladders). These are not additives but rather processing aids.<\/p>\n
If casein or albumin is used, this will produce wine that is usually acceptable to most vegetarians. However, for vegans, none of the above methods of fining will prove suitable for their dietary needs and lifestyle choices.<\/p>\n
Many winemakers have chosen to use a clay-based fining agent like bentonite or even activated charcoal to aid in the fining process. This means that there are no animal products used whatsoever. There are even those who prefer to wait and allow nature to take its course without using any kind of fining agent at all.<\/p>\n