Isn’t wine made with grapes?

A wine can be defined vegan even if it is made with grapes!

In this article, you will discover something that you may not have known or perhaps you did not think was possible. Those who follow the vegan philosophy should know this detail of enology.

During a fair I had the honor of managing the vegan wine stand of some producers and all the curious customers, while tasting, asked me how a wine can be vegan and another not. After all, wine is made with grapes and here we all agree.

But what oenological method is used to make the wine clean and limpid? Here the arcane mystery is revealed.

Different products can be used which, reacting with the solid substances still present in the wine, aggregate and cause them to precipitate, thus making the wine limpid and transparent.

Don’t worry, there is no trace of these ingredients in the Bacchus nectar.

What are these ingredients? They can be isinglass, albumin, bean glue or vegetable glue, bentonite (it’s a clay), etc.

As you can see, products of animal origin may or may not be used and hence the difference.

Those who do not use products of animal origin in the winemaking process are producing a vegan wine. Some producers indicate it on the label, but it is a very expensive certification and therefore, the only way is to know the winemaking techniques of that producer for that wine. In fact, it could happen that the same producer has in its line of wines classified vegan and some wines classified conventional.

Oh, don’t forget that there is also the decanting technique where no external ingredient is used to clarify the wine, but the simple gravity and immense patience of the producer. This technique also implies the possibility for the producer to have containers ready to accommodate the wine in the various decanting stages to obtain the desired clarity and transparency.

Filters can also be used to remove even the smallest particles. Here producers are very careful because filtration greatly impoverishes the finished product.

Speaker and Sommelier – Fisar Milano Duomo

Devid Ghisellini