Psssst! Most Wine Isn’t Vegan

It never fails: I regularly upset vegans when I say that wine isn’t vegan. And it’s not because I say it in a pedantic way (I don’t). It’s because most people don’t know what goes into making most bottles of wine. So, if you’re a vegan or just curious how the heck fermented grapes aren’t, read on!

What is Vegan?

Veganism, the old school type, is a practice of not consuming any product or service that exploits animals. So, while some people eat a vegan diet, they might not be fully vegan. For those people who do not engage in anything that exploits animals, you may want to look a little more closely at your labels. We’re here to help you figure out why and how.

How is Wine NOT Vegan?

You’d think it would be simple: wine juice + yeast = a vegan delight. But there are two ways in which wine doesn’t qualify as vegan. The first way has to do with how the grapes were harvested and the second has to do with things added to wine purposely.

Sorry, Kermit!

M.O.G.

What’s MOG? Why, it’s “matter other than grapes.” When grapes are harvested by a machine, that machine grabs everything, not just grapes. This means bugs and even frogs and mice. If you’re buying wine that’s not hand-harvested, you’re guaranteed to be drinking wine that had some crushed up animals in it. Of course these pieces are filtered out but still: this makes wine not vegan.

Fining and Clarifying

Wine is not naturally clear. Just pour a glass of “natural” wine and you’ll see what I’m talking about: it’s hazy. This is because natural wine does not use a process called “fining” or “clarifying.”

If your wine is clear, chances are one of three animal products was used to get it that way:

• gelatin

• isinglass

• egg whites

• casein

When the wine is in the tank, winemakers will add a layer of one of these four ingredients (isinglass is a type of collagen derived from dried fish bladders, casein is an animal-milk protein) to the top. Because they weigh more than the wine and are viscous, they grab the stuff that’s floating in wine and pull it to the bottom. The tap is located higher on the tank so that only the clear stuff makes it to the bottle.

You’re not drinking any of these things, but because they were used in the process strict vegans will not want to take a sip.

Finding Vegan Wine

If you practice veganism, it is possible to enjoy wine. There are two simple tricks. First, look for wine that is hand-harvested. Second, look for the words “unfiltered,” “unfined,” or “natural” on the label.