Published the 01/04/2019 in Our Selection

Vegan WINE?

FASHION EFFECT OR REAL PRODUCTION METHOD?

For a few years now, there has been a growing trend and demand for wines  from sustainable agriculture, organic wines, wines produced in biodynamics, but do you know vegan wines and their particularity?

The vegan diet refutes any source of food from animal origin. Wait, wine should be vegan, right ? It comes from the vine, produced from grape juice, so 100% vegetable...

Is this a new marketing trend? A fad? Or really a subtlety that escapes us?

Many winegrowers make and use "glue" to clarify their wines. In the jargon, this means that the "glue" is intended to remove unstable protein particles and yeast residues that remain suspended in the wine, which can cause the wine to look hazy under the effect of heat, which is not a desirable effect.

Some products of animal origin are used to make this glue: egg white, fish glue or casein (protein present in milk), which is not compatible when following a vegan diet.

To produce a wine that is certified or labelled VEGAN, winegrowers use a "vegetable" glue made from vegetable proteins such as...peas, wheat or potatoes.

And that is the subtlety of vegan wine, which then becomes 100% vegan without any residue from animal sources!

Otherwise, the other possibility is not to use glue at all, but the risk of haziness is high!

So, as you understand, this is indeed a method in its own right, which differs from organic labels. Indeed, in the specifications of the organic label, glues based on egg white or casein can be used and therefore, an organic labelled wine will not necessarily be vegan and vice versa!

For the quick information: more and more Bordeaux wine estates (including grand crus classés) are starting to produce wines using vegan-friendly methods.

Stay tuned for our next article !

Aurélie L.