Our Vegetarian Wines
Click on the link above to see our list of vegetarian wines.
"All of our wines are vegetarian, they are made from grapes, not meat." True or false?
Wine is made from grapes obviously. However, to improve a wine's clarity it usually undergoes a process called "fining". Fining can be as simple as just letting it settle by gravity until it becomes clear, and leave the solids at the bottom of the vat. This not only takes time but also wastes wine so is not favoured commercially by large scale producers. Therefore, fining agents are commonly used by them.
The following fining agents are derived from animal products:
Gelatine - 100% animal derived gelatine
Albumen - Egg whites, usually dried or frozen
Casein - Sodium or potassium caseinate which is the primary protein in milk
Isinglass - Derived from fish, usually the swim bladder of the sturgeon
Happily, we work with small producers who for the most part intervene as little as possible with the wine's natural process from grape to wine, so the majority of our wines are suitable for vegetarians.
None of the wines listed under the vegetarian section have been fined with any animal products.
Bentonite, kaolin and kiesguhr however are suitable fining agents for vegetarians and vegans because they are not animal-derived products.
Casein and Albumen are animal by-products and are therefore suitable for vegetarians but not for vegans.
Any egg (free range or not) is considered vegetarian for the purpose of this site.