Organic wine, natural wine or vegan wine… the names are multiplying and it is difficult to tell the difference in a plethora of offerings that try to satisfy the new expectations of consumers who are adopting new eating habits (vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, etc.).
Still, to continue drinking a little wine (in moderation!) when you switch to a plant-based diet, it is important to know if a wine is vegan or not… because yes , wines may contain traces of animal products! Here’s what you need to know about vegan wine to choose it with full knowledge of the facts.
What is vegan wine?
Vegan wine: definition
Vegans excludes any food containing products of animal origin. The vegan wine adopts the same codes with a 100% plant-based composition.
You are probably wondering why wine contains products of animal origin… After all, in the collective unconscious, wine (vegan or traditional) is just macerated and fermented grapes…
And yet animal traces can be detected there. For what ?
When winemakers and winegrowers carry out what is called “clarification” to eliminate yeast residues remaining in the beverage, they use a preparation called “glue”. It is at this stage that animal products can be used.
What traces of animal products are in wine?
This clarification operation can use:
- a fish-based glue made from skin or cartilage
- gelatin made from skin, fish, bovine bones, etc.
- egg white
- casein which is a cow’s milk protein.
We therefore understand that to obtain a vegan wine, you need alternative solutions to the use of glue made with products of animal origin, or even not using glue at all.
Difference with organic wine and natural wine?
Vegan wine and organic wine are a little different. Organic wine is made with organic grapes but winemaking allows the use of certain chemicals, unlike natural wine, this addition is not permitted.
Organic wine allows the use of egg white or casein for clarification: organic wine is not necessarily vegan. And a vegan wine is not necessarily organic, it does not necessarily use organic grapes.
Plant-based alternatives for clarifying a vegan wine are, among others, pea or potato proteins.
How do you know if a wine is vegan?
Certification
There is certification from Expertise Vegan Europe (EVE), an independent organization which controls and certifies vegan products as compliant. It guarantees products without animal origin and not tested on animals.
The EVE site provides consumers with a list of vegan wines certified by their services.
Where to buy vegan wine?
You can find them in hypermarkets, wine merchants, organic stores and also on websites.
Read the labels carefully and ask the seller if in doubt.