Our wines are authorized vegan by the international Vegan Society.

The licence is renewed every year.

About vegan wine

1.1 What is vegan wine?

Vegan wine is wine (a fermented, alcoholic grape drink!) that is made using no animal-derived ingredients.

1.2 Why are all wines not suitable for vegans?

Many wines are made using animal-derived ingredients to assist in the processing of the wine. Whilst these ingredients in the main are filtered out of the wine before it is sold, the use of animal ingredients in the creation of the wine makes them unsuitable for consumption by vegans. Typically these ingredients are used as processing aids in the “fining” or filtration part of the wine making process to help remove solid impurities such as grape skins, stems, pips, to remove the yeast used in the fermentation process or to adjust the tannin levels in certain wines. This is done to end up with a clearer, brighter, better tasting and more presentable wine.

1.3 What animal ingredients are commonly found in wine?

The most common animal ingredients used in wine making are isinglass (a very pure form of gelatin from sturgeon fish bladders), gelatin (extract from boiled cow’s or pig’s hooves and sinews), egg whites (or albumin) and casein (a protein from milk). Very occasionally blood has been used as an additive – “sangre de toro” means “bulls blood” – but rarely literally any more. This ingredient was declared illegal for use in European wines in the aftermath of the outbreak of BSE (mad cow disease).

1.4 Are animal ingredients needed to make wine?

No! Many wines are made differently – hence vegan wine.

1.5 What alternatives exist?

Bentonite or kaolin are two minerals that are used for fining by some winemakers. Some filter manually without the use of additives, or not at all.

1.6 Does vegan wine taste different to other wines?

No. There are many wines of many different types that are suitable for vegans from around the world and across the spectrum of grape types and price ranges.