With current health trends, a lot of people are looking for any and every way to cut their caloric intake. Many have joined the lifestyle of veganism and if not completely, some have opted for experimenting with alternative options. This does not exclude the beverage realm. When it comes to alcoholic choices, there is a huge desire for vegan wines.
But what makes a wine vegan? Vegan wines are wines made without animal products. This means winemakers do not use traditional fining products such as gelatin, albumin, casein, and isinglass also known as dried fish bladders that are used to remove floating particles from the wine. Instead, they allow the particles to sink naturally to the bottom or use a non-animal fining product like bentonite to remove them.
In some countries using animal products in the fining process, winemakers are required to label the wine as such. Bentonite, charcoal or “vegetarian gelatin” are commonly used now by winemakers to complete the vegan fining process. It’s true not all wines are fined but as all winemakers are different, it’s best to always research the winemaker and their methods. How does the everyday consumer know whether a wine is vegan? The go to is to check the label or simply Google the fining/fermentation processes for said wine.
This brings me to one of my favorite varietals, Prosecco. Prosecco is a go to for a lot of vegans as almost all Prosecco sparkling wines are vegan. At TCB, we love our Adami!
3 cups strawberries, chopped
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 oz gin
1 bottle of Adami Prosecco
Are you ready to expand your wine knowledge? We have several upcoming wine classes that dive deep into how to taste wine and understand what you like (and perhaps don't) in a wine. Join us for: