How Vegan Wine is Made

Last time we learned that wine makers use clarifying agents in the ‘fining’ process to remove small natural particles that exist in wines. These particles includes microscopic protein particles from grape skins, seeds and dead yeast. And, the most common agents used in clarify or fining a wine are gelatin (an animal protein), albumin (egg whites), casein (animal milk protein) and isinglass (fish bladder). While these agents do a very good job of clinging to particles and then being removed from the wine, they disqualify a wine from being considered vegan.

So, what does someone who is a vegan do? Well, as the market for vegan wines grows, wine makers are learning to make wines without the use of animal products.

Wine makers can choose to either leave the particles in the tank or barrel and allow them to sink naturally to the bottom (a slower, more costly, but completely natural method), or use non-animal based fining products.

Today many winemakers use clay-based fining agents such as betonite, an unusual form of clay, or carbon (activated charcoal). There is even a man-made plastic substance called poly vinyl poly pyrrolidone (PVPP) that is an effective synthetic water-soluble polymer fining agent. There are even vegetable-based gelatins, and other protein fining agents that are being derived from peas and potatoes.

So, vegans, don’t despair. There are wine makers looking out for you. Now, you need to look out for them. Check the label. If it’s vegan, they want you to know and will prominently feature it on the label. Cheers!

Ever Wonder? What is Vegan Wine?

Natural, organic and vegan products are becoming more and more popular. As consumers continue to seek out these products, producers are focusing on these markets. But, there seems to be confusion and misunderstanding when it comes to natural, organic and vegan wines.

One might think or expect that wine, made from fermented grape juice, is natural, organic and vegan. Right? Well, in most cases, the answer is that wine is not. And, in a recent conversation, I was asked “What is vegan wine?” So, let’s take a look.

Simply put, for a product to be vegan, it must contain no products derived from animals. So then, why isn’t all wine, that’s produced from grapes and yeast, considered vegan? Well, it mostly has to do with products that winemakers use to filter out the very small particles that naturally exist in wine. These particles come from the grapes, seeds and skins as well as the yeast. And, wine producers and consumers want their wine, especially white wines, to be crystal clear. Nobody wants a hazy, murky glass of wine.

Given enough time, these small particles will mostly fall to the bottom of the barrel or tank under gravity. That sediment can then be drained off leaving a clarified wine. But in today’s market, wine producers don’t often want to take the extra time to allow their wines to settle. Instead, they’ve learned that certain products are able to quickly bind to the small particles and fall to the bottom of the barrel or tank. These products have in the past all been animal-based products. Hence, the wines are not vegan.

Some of the most common agents used in clarify wine (referred to as fining) are gelatin (an animal protein), albumin (egg whites), casein (animal milk protein) and isinglass (fish bladder). And while these agents do a very good job of clinging to particles and then being removed from the wine, they disqualify a wine from being considered vegan.

Even the cork used in a wine bottle can contain animal products. Today, many corks are “composite.” They are formed by gluing together ground up cork bits. And, unfortunately, these glues can contain animal products.

So, how are wine makers producing vegan wines? We’ll take a look at that next time. Cheers!

The Four Fundamental Traits of a Good Wine (And How They Must be Balanced)

There are four fundamental traits that comprise a good wine. They are Acidity, Tannin, Alcohol and Sweetness.

For a wine to be considered “good,” each of these traits must be in proper proportion to each another.

This is because each of these four fundamental traits play a vital role in how the wine tastes. If there’s too much of one part, the wine will be off. And, if there’s not enough of a specific component, the wine will be lacking.

Too much acidity will make a wine taste sharp. Too much tannin will make the wine overly astringent. Too much alcohol and the wine will yield a burning sensation in your throat. And, too much residual sugar will make a wine overly sweet.

More specifically, the "hard" components of acidity and tannins typically are used to balance the "soft" components of sweetness and alcohol.

It’s truly is a balancing act for winemakers.

And, a balanced wine is one in which all the fundamental traits work together in harmony.