Animal products may be lurking on the dinner table where they are least expected...the wine bottle.

Not all wines are vegetarian, and that doesn’t mean a few bugs fell off the vines and into the wine vat, either. Wine bottles might be holding a darker secret – that animal products are often used in the winemaking process.

Chris J. Inns, Assistant Winemaker at Stonechurch Vineyards explains why animal-derived substances are used: “The four principal additives sometimes used in winemaking that may be of concern to vegetarians and vegans are isinglass (fish bladder), egg whites, casein (a milk protein) and gelatin. All four fall under the category of fining agents”.

“Fining agents cause substances like off-flavours and phenolics (that give wine bitterness and/or dry flavours), to settle out to the bottom of the tank. The wine is drawn off the top, leaving the fining agent and undesirables behind. After settling, the wine is often filtered, providing an extra guarantee that no fining agent makes it into the bottle.”

“So the first thing to understand is that no wine has any animal products remaining when it is bottled.”

Identifying Objectionable Ingredients

If you strictly do not consume animal products, all wine is open to you” says Inns. “But if you want to avoid the use of animal products, or those that have contacted them, it gets more complicated”.

Many wines are made without the use of fining agents, as they are expensive and can remove some of the good flavours. There is a non-animal alternative many winemakers actually prefer; it is further discussed below.

“You have to contact each winery and ask which wines do not come into contact with animal products. While this sounds odd…” Inns insists, “…I assure you that wineries would be happy to answer your questions concerning their products. Companies not willing to answer queries from their clients are companies you probably don’t want to support anyhow.”

His point is confirmed with a quick email response from the Organic Frog Pond Farms, also located in Niagara-on-the-Lake. They do not use any animal products in any of their wines.

Determining which wines are vegan-friendly sounds like an admirable goal, but requires a lot of legwork. There are no regulations requiring the labelling of processing aids on wine bottles. Some websites have begun to compile lists of veg-friendly wines, though.

Animal Alternatives

The principal alternative used in fining is polyvinylpolypyrrolidone, or PVPP. “It is a synthetic chemical, and not derived from animals” says Inns.

So why are animal products still so widely-used?

“They are gentle on the wine, and are natural products. Many feel that synthetic chemicals are less healthy and that the chemical plants used to produce them are less environmentally friendly than using animal products”.

Organic Wines

Does buying Organic wine guarantee no animal products were used?

“Organic wines do have a stricter set of guidelines” says Inns. “However, what is and is not organic is questionable at best.”

“Some wineries do not use harsh chemicals on their grapes, yet are not labelled as organic. If you want to know for sure what has been sprayed on that apple you are eating, you have to talk to the farmer who grew it. The same goes for wine”.

The Bottom Line

More vegans and vegetarians are catching on to the idea of animal-free wines. There are region-specific lists to make tracking down these choices a little easier:

• In the UK, try the Vegan Wine Guide;
• The Tyee for British Columbia/Canada, and
• Taste Better for the USA.

Many thanks to Chris J. Inns, Assistant Winemaker at Stonechurch Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada for his knowledge and insight.