Raise your glass and your pinky to vegan wine

We use vegetable broth in our soups and soy milk in our coffee, but I never knew I had to check the label on the wine bottle before I pour it into my wineglass, too. I thought wine was made by Lucille Ball dancing on grapes in a big barrel on black and white TV, but it seems as though I have overlooked a few steps of the process. Wine is more than fermented grapes. It is actually filtered through animal products when it is clarified and cleared after fermentation.

Although wine usually contains only grapes, yeast, and a small amount of sulphites, which are added and created during fermentation, the processing of wine uses substances that are often not vegan.

Several animal products might be used in the making of wine during the clarifying or 'fining' process. Fining is when the spent yeasts (which turns the sugar to alcohol) and any miniscule bits of leaves or stems are removed, leaving a clear liquid. A fining agent binds to the debris and settles on the bottom of the wine tank or barrel, from where they are removed. The ingredient list will not state the clarifier because it is removed from the final product.

Wine is clarified after fermentation using animal-based and earth-based products. Animal-based products include egg whites, milk, gelatin made from bones, isinglass made from fish bladders, caseinate milk proteins, and dried blood. Bentonite is an earth-based clay earth product.

So what does this mean for us vegans? Organic protein agents are more likely to be used in the clarification of premium wines which cost more than $7 a bottle. Egg whites are commonly used for red wine clarification in more expensive wines, above $15 a bottle, or French wines expected to age. In the United States, large producers use potassium caseinate instead of eggs as fining agents in some red wines. Gelatin can clarify either white or red wine, or beer and less expensive wines may use this method. Isinglass is used to fine selected white wines specifically in Germany. Some American wineries also use isinglass to clarify white wine or chardonnay. Bull's blood is also used in some Mediterranean countries but is not allowed in the U.S. or France. And all Kosher wines are not vegan—they may be more likely to avoid the use of the animal-based clarifying agents, but not all do so.

The good news is the most popular substance used to remove the proteins of domestically produced white wines is bentonite, the silica clay and it is used to fine most inexpensive wines.

Because labels need not declare these animal product used, I recommend asking the wine connoisseur at your nearest wine shop for guidance as you look over isles and make your wine selections for tonight's dinner. Or look through the huge list of vegan wines, link below.

And when all else fails, grab a bottle of monet, as I can assure you its drinkable for all.

Sources of information:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/vegetarian_and_vegan/drinks.shtml
http://www.veganconnection.com/notvegan.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_wine

HUGE LIST OF VEGAN WINES
http://vegans.frommars.org/wine/