Vegan wines

Many wines are clarified by fining agents containing animal products such as egg whites, fish bladders and casein from milk; some wine producers deliberately use other finings so that they can offer their produce as vegan wines. It should be noted, however, that finings are not designed to remain in the finished wine.


Question: "Excuse me, do you sell any vegetarian wine?"
Answer: "All of our wines are vegetarian, they are made from grapes, not meat!"
(That is usuallt a reply from wine producers when they are asked the question)

True or false?
Wine is made from grapes as we all know, however, to improve a wines' clarity it usually undergoes a process called "fining". Fining can be as simple as letting nature take its course through gravity. This takes time and is not favoured commercially. Therefore, fining agents are commonly used.

Fining agents used in the production of wine include:

bentonite    gelatine    casein    chitosan    enolophin/kieselsol
polyclar    egg albumen    isinglass    carbon    sparkolloid


The following fining agents are derived from animal / fish products:

Gelatine - 100% animal derived gelatine. Produced from cooking / controlled partial hydrolysis of fibrous insoluble protein collagen found in bone, tendons, skin and connective tissue.

Albumen - Egg whites, usually dried or frozen.

Casein - Is sodium or potassium caseinate which is the primary protein in milk. Both are obtained through the precipitating action of acid on milk.

Isinglass - Made up of collagen fibres derived from the air bladders of certain fish, usually the swim bladder of the sturgeon.

Chitosan - Derived from the shells of shellfish and crustaceans.

Does all of this spell disaster for vegetarian and vegan wine lovers?
Not at all, just select either our vegetarian wine or vegan wine section.