Vegan and Vegetarian Wines

An increasing amount of attention is being paid to Vegan , Vegan friendly and Vegetarian Wines. The term Vegan Wines can be defined as any wines which exclude the use of any animal products or by-products whatsoever.

For vegetarians and vegans, looking to buy vegan wines, it is often something of a surprise to learn that products such as egg whites, milk, fish bladders and even dried blood have sometimes been used in the wine making process … and this just to clarify or colour the wine. A typical example would be for Bordeaux wines, where the addition of egg whites was, and still is practiced to force sediment to sink to the bottom of the wine barrel (the egg white sinks and takes the sediment with it). Buying vegan wines can be a challenge and only those websites specialising in vegan wines merit serious attention. This is because, quite simply, only those wineries with a serious commitment to vegetarian, vegan and vegan friendly wines will produce vegan wines and these tend to be the brands only found in specialist wine merchants with their own websites.

For those vegan lovers and veggies with a desire to keep to their principals, wines for veggies and vegans would include some top brands such as Peter Lehmann from Australia, Kim Crawford from New Zealand and even Loimer from Austria (who produce the best Gruner Veltliner I have tried). Kim Crawford’s award winning ‘Spitfire’ Sauvignon Blanc would give any top Sauvignon more than a run for its money and should be near the top of the list for a vegan wine hunter as should any of Peter Lehmann’s red wines. These would all feature amongst my favourites when choosing and buying vegan wines and Peter Lehmann’s Shiraz remains my wife’s favourite overall red wine!

It is a frustration for vegans and vegetarians looking to buy vegan wines that, unlike virtually all other products, there is no requirement on wineries to list ‘additives’ or products, particularly non-vegan friendly products used in the wine-making process, though some, such as bull’s blood are now illegal. Alternative products and methods to produce vegan wines tend to be more expensive or lengthier, making the wine-making process for vegan friendly wines slightly more expensive. Examples would be allowing sediment to settle naturally before bottling or using mineral based products to ‘fine’ or clarify a wine for the vegan and vegetarian market.

Fortunately for vegans and vegetarians, more and more wineries are turning to these natural wine making processes with many wines even winning international wine awards competing with their non-vegan friendly counterparts. Take Peter Lehmann’s red wines for example, which have swept up hundreds of international wine awards and medals. This should not however be the only basis for choosing vegan wines. Jeffrey Grossets’ wines from the Claire Valley, Barossa and Adelaide Hills in Australia are ALL vegan friendly and whilst they lean more towards fine wines prices (upwards of £20), they are worth it as are Livio Felluga’s wines from Italy and Mount Horrocks’ wines from South Australia. For the more conservative vegan wine budget, check out Mitolo’s vegan-friendly selection, particularly the ‘Jester’ Shiraz at around £13.