Maivino.com: Your One-Stop Shop for Vegan-Friendly Wines

For wine drinkers looking for vegan-friendly options, navigating the world of wine can seem intimidating. Many traditional winemaking processes involve the use of animal products like isinglass, casein, egg whites, and fish bladders, making it difficult to find vegan-friendly wines.

In this guide, we will cover all of the important aspects of vegan-friendly winemaking. We’ll start by looking at the types of animal products commonly used in winemaking and how they affect the final product. Then, we’ll explore the various vegan-friendly wines available, from reds and whites to rosé and bubbly. Finally, we’ll discuss the best ways to find vegan-friendly wines, from biodynamic and organic wines to retailers that specialize in vegan-friendly wine.

Why Most Wines Are Not Vegan

Isn’t it just fermented grape juice? Isn’t that automatically vegan? Unfortunately, a closer look at the fermentation process reveals various animal products used in more traditional winemaking and creating needless demand for animal byproducts.

Fining agents are commonly used to clarify wine, reducing tannins and other particles found in the wine during the fining process.

List of Animal Products That You Didn’t Know Are In Your Wine

Casein (milk protein)

Albumin (egg whites)

Gelatin (derived from animal bones and hooves)

Fish bladders (known as isinglass)

All of these animal products are used in traditional non-vegan winemaking processes, and, more importantly not necessary with advances in winemaking when simple changes in the process like using bentonite (clay) and pea protein will produce lower sulfite wines and create all those wonderful aromas without animal ingredients.

Do Vegan Wines taste Different than Traditional Wines

Well, the short answer is yes since the beauty of wine is that no two bottles of wine within the same wine maker’s cellar taste exactly the same if they were grown in different years in most cases.

Unfined Vegan Red wines like Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon are all vegan-friendly. White wines, like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling, are also vegan-friendly. Rosé, bubbly, and sparkling wines, such as Prosecco, Brut, and Zinfandel, have all been crafted into beautiful flavor profiles respectively by simply encouraging highly skilled vintners to utilize modern techniques that simply no longer require animal products.

Organic and biodynamic wines can be vegan-friendly options. These wines are made with no chemical additives and are typically cruelty-free. Additionally, many retailers specialize in vegan-friendly wines, so you can enjoy a delicious wine without the guilt.

Be Sure To Check The Label

Finally, it’s important to check the wine labels you’re considering. Many wines are labeled vegan-friendly, but double-checking the ingredients list and the winemaking process is still a good idea. Additionally, websites like Barnivore make it easy to check whether a wine is vegan-friendly or not.

How Much Has the Vegan Wine Market Grown?

According to a report by Grand View Research, the global vegan wine market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2020 to 2027. Additionally, research by Mintel found that 7% of new wine launches in the US in 2019 were vegan, indicating an increasing demand for these products.