Is Wine Vegan?

You might think this is a straight-forward question. You might be thinking, "What animal products could be used in fermented grape juice?" Unfortunately, it's just not that simple. If you need your wine to be vegan, it might require a little work.

The most common reason wine might not count as vegan is that sometimes egg whites and other animal proteins are poured through a wine during the "fining" process, a process that collects minute particles of grape must, yeast, and other particulates suspended in the liquid. It's not as common with modern production runs, but this still happens.

The safest way to ensure that your wine is vegan is to contact the winemaker to confirm. You can also look for wine that is unfiltered, or look to some websites that list vegan wine options, to help you in your research.