Animal-free. It might come as a surprise to you but not all wines are actually suitable for a vegan diet due to the addition of “fining agents” at the later stage of the winemaking progress. Blood and bone marrow, casein (milk protein), chitin (fiber from crustacean shells), egg albumen (derived from egg whites), fish oil, gelatin (protein from boiling animal parts), and isinglass (gelatin from fish bladder membranes) are commonly used to help eliminate proteins, yeasts and other molecules that give wine a cloudy appearance. They can also eliminate harsh tannins, helping the wine taste smoother at a younger age. Wine will typically become less cloudy on its own, it simply takes a little more time. Fining agents speed up this process which may otherwise take a few months.
Whether a wine is suitable for a vegan diet or not is relatively easy to find out. Thanks to the NZ Foods Standards Code and many other label regulations worldwide the presence of fining agents as potential allergen products is commonly declared on the back label of a wine or simply watch out for products marked with our vegan symbol throughout our online shop.
