Vegan Wines 101
Is your Merlot meat-free? Probably, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's vegan.
By Jonathan Hermann
"Vegan wine?" I tilt my glass of Pinot Grigio to the light, examining the pale yellow fluid for tiny specks of chicken. "Aren't all wines vegan?" The idea seems preposterous—of course they're vegan. The basics of winemaking are inherently humane: made from grapes, natural fermentation, oak barrels. Nothing that would make you wonder if any animals were harmed in the making of this vintage. But a few wineries are plugging their vino as "vegan-friendly," which begs the question: Is there something important I should know about before I start sipping?
At Virginia's Mountain Cove Vineyards, a fellow named Mike guides us through the winery tucked behind the cabin, telling us the story of the grape, from vine to wine. Afterwards he leads us into the tasting room and pours two generous samples of Tinto—a dry blend of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon grapes that he proudly calls a great "porch-sippin'" wine—before explaining why some wines are vegan, but most are not. It's all in the fining. Fining is a process wine goes through while it ages to extract impurities in order to produce a clearer, more stable product. After a fining agent is added to wine in a tank or barrel, it drifts about, picking up proteins, yeast, bad flavors and other organic particles before settling to the bottom of the container for easy removal. The clear wine is then racked off into a clean tank, leaving behind minute traces, if any, of the fining agent in the finished wine.
What's difficult for vegans to swallow is that the majority of fining agents used in wines today are derived from animals. These agents include isinglass (from sturgeon bladders), gelatin (from boiled cows' or pigs' hooves and sinews), egg whites (or albumen), and casein (a milk protein). Even bulls' blood, "sangre de toro," was once used to clear red wine, but no longer in American or European wineries—Mad Cow Merlot just wouldn't sell.
There are animal-free alternatives—most commonly bentonite, a natural clay powder, and Sparkaloid, a diatomaceous earth. Both act like a pair of cement boots by becoming attached to bad elements and sinking them to the bottom. Different agents are used to fine different types of wine, and the winemaker gets the final say. With most of the industry using animal byproducts, why are some winemakers switching to more humane methods? According to the owner of Mountain Cove, Al Weed, the humane part is simply a fortuitous side effect. "Most of the non-vegan additives are used typically to compensate for specific 'deficiencies' in the wine,? he replies, "deficiencies to which we go to great lengths to avoid."
Mountain Cove wines, thankfully, are safe for the drinking, and a growing cadre of vintners is following the vegan path to vino. Cheers to that!
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Posted: Nov 17 2008 12:12PM By stephanie
yellow tail is vegan and a great wine. plus its not pricey.
Posted: Nov 18 2008 13:24PM By kate s.
don't forget la rocca vineyards. yum!
Posted: Nov 19 2008 07:21AM By Kera
Yellow Tail REDS are vegan. The whites are NOT vegan (they use gelatin). http://www.barnivore.com/wine/Yellow%20Tail?keyword=yellowtail
Posted: Nov 26 2008 08:17AM By Brian Fitzpatrick
Hello out there, Fitzpatrick wines have been vegan and organically grown for three decades. We may be small and not found on many store shelves but we are just a click away on the internet fitzpatrickwinery.com or you can actually talk to the owners at 800-245-9166.
Posted: Nov 29 2008 12:25PM By Donna
Also, Girasole Vineyards in Mendocino is organic and vegan and good. http://www.girasolevineyards.com/girasole/page/making_wine.jsp
Posted: Nov 30 2008 12:14PM By Janessa
What a great article. There should be a website that lists vegan wines, by region.I'll definitely check out Fitzpatrick Wines and Girasole Vineyards. Also, White Yellow Tail ISN'T vegan?! Gross.
Posted: Dec 02 2008 12:17PM By phillipe bojorquez
There are several websites that list wine as either vegetarian vegan or not vegan friendly. The one i generally use is: http://www.barnivore.com also check out http://www.veganconnection.com/veganwine.htm
Posted: Dec 06 2008 15:17PM By Stephanie Van Zandwyk
Give Frog Pond wines a try they are all vegan organic wines. I've visited the winery and it's beautiful.
Posted: Dec 10 2008 11:41AM By michelle
Excellent article and comments. There is a nice table red by Our Daily Red (I believe it comes from California). I tend to use that and Yellow Tail. For a splurge, try Chateau Musar from Lebanon. This is worth the 40 dollar price tag for a special occasion.
Posted: Dec 19 2008 12:06PM By john
AND yellow tail wines go great with a kangaroo steak as suggested on the back of the bottle. I don't care if they're vegan if they reccomed drinking with a kangaroo steak they are off my list!
Posted: Dec 30 2008 07:29AM By BAK
Daily Red is a great wine--no sulfites!
Posted: Feb 07 2009 16:28PM By Bradley Mansfield
I found a really great place to find vegan wine, sulfite free wines and the like - after further investigation I found the store - it has a variety of organic wines from a host of winemakers.I called and Vicky answered - she is knowledgable and dedicated to living and promotinssg a healthy life-style, and basically a one person shop that gets it. the website is www.ecovinewine.com really check it out there's more the Frey wines.
Posted: Mar 20 2009 06:58AM By Carolyn Anne
Speaking of vegan wine lists, is there an extensive list anywhere online of vegan wines?
Posted: Mar 25 2009 16:11PM By Ginger Sedlarova
Carolyn, try barnivore.com for a comprehensive list
Posted: Apr 22 2009 03:41AM By ELISABETH
This is great info. Thank you!
Posted: Nov 19 2009 14:43PM By Kathy
Florida Orange Groves Winery (FloridaWine.com) wines are vegan.
Posted: Nov 23 2009 17:40PM By Sam
"Hip Chicks Do Wine" in Oregon are all vegan
Posted: Feb 05 2010 09:24AM By Joshua Gay
Our Daily Red has made some my favorite reds
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