Is Organic Wine Vegan?

The short answer is no! When did you ever know me to give a short answer?

Organic wines are made with organic grapes whereas vegan wines are not required to be made with organic grapes. Vegan wines must be made without the use of animal byproducts. Organic wines can use animal byproducts throughout the wine-making process. Confused yet?

Why are animal byproducts used in the making of wine? They are used in the fining process. Fining a wine removes unwanted materials from the wine while still in the cellar. These elements will make the wine have a hazy or cloudy look. The fining agent attaches to the unwanted elements making them big enough to filter out. The most common animal based fining materials are egg whites or casein, a milk protein. To state the obvious is these materials are used, then the wine cannot be referred to as vegan.

So, what materials can be used to fine a vegan wine? The most popular materials are carbon or bentonite clay. Other materials include limestone, kaolin clay, plant casein, silica gel or vegetable plaques.

I know this is a lot of words and it is a wee bit confusing. To clear things up I have three suggestions.

1.      Do your research, there are many great sites that list vegan wines and wineries.

2.     Look for the Vegan symbol on the label.

3.     If all else fails grab of bottle from the Yalumba Winery. You will find these wines in our store's Australian and Organic sections.