Isn’t all wine vegan?

There’s only one part of the wine making process that isn’t always vegan.

The low-down

There’s just a small part of the wine-making process that makes wine vegan (or not).

The picking, pressing and fermentation of grapes are usually considered to be vegan-friendly. There’s just one part of the process called ‘fining’ that sometimes uses animal products.

‘Fining’ is a technique used to remove impurities from the wine, making it clear and more stable. Bear with us, this is a little technical. Traditionally, egg whites, gelatine or a milk derivative is added to the wine.

This bonds with soluble impurities (ones you can’t filter out) like tannins, proteins and phenols. The fining agent is then removed from the wine, along with the impurities.

Vegan wine is made in one of two ways, either with a vegan-friendly fining agent like clay, or by leaving the wine to mature a little longer and avoiding fining altogether.

Does vegan wine taste different?

We can’t speak for all winemakers but we can tell you our range of organic, vegan-friendly wines is award-winning. They’re also fairly traded according to Fair for Life regulations. We even have a range of organic reds with no added sulphur.