Most people assume wine is already vegan. It's grapes, after all. What else would be in it?
The answer, for a surprisingly large share of conventionally made wine, involves animal products — not as ingredients exactly, but as processing agents used during winemaking. Understanding why this happens, and when it doesn't, changes how you choose your bottle.
Why traditional wine often isn't vegan
After fermentation, wine contains particles that make it look cloudy: dead yeast cells, grape proteins, tartaric acid crystals, tannins. To clarify the wine before bottling, winemakers have traditionally added fining agents — substances that bind to these particles and cause them to fall out of suspension, making the wine clear.
The most common traditional fining agents are:
- Egg whites (albumin) — widely used in red wine production, particularly for softening tannins
- Casein — a milk protein, commonly used in white and rosé wines
- Isinglass — derived from fish bladders, often used in white wine and beer
- Gelatin — animal-derived, used for clarifying both red and white wines
These agents are filtered out before bottling, so they don't technically remain in the finished wine — but they're present during production, which is why wine made this way is not considered vegan.
What vegan wine uses instead
Producers who make vegan wine substitute these with plant-based or mineral alternatives:
- Bentonite clay — a naturally occurring mineral that binds proteins and clarifies the wine effectively
- Activated charcoal — used to remove unwanted colour or off-flavours
- Pea protein — increasingly used as a plant-based alternative to egg whites in red wine
Or, in some cases, no fining at all. Unfiltered wines skip the clarification step entirely, relying on time and gravity to let particles settle naturally. These wines may appear slightly hazy in the glass — which is not a flaw.
Does vegan wine taste different?
Generally, no. The fining process affects clarity, not flavour. A well-made vegan wine using bentonite or pea protein will taste the same as a wine fined with egg whites. The difference is in process, not result.
Where you might notice a difference is in unfined, unfiltered wines — which tend to have slightly more texture and a livelier, less polished character. Whether that's better is a matter of preference.
How to tell if a wine is vegan
The label won't always tell you. In the EU, fining agents don't need to be listed on the label unless they're allergens that remain in the wine at detectable levels. Casein and isinglass sometimes require listing; egg whites usually do under EU allergen rules.
The most reliable ways to know:
- Look for a Vegan Society logo or similar certification on the label
- Check the producer's website or tasting notes
- Buy from a retailer who curates for vegan certification — which is what we do
Our vegan wines
Several wines in our collection are certified vegan, including wines from Le Baite in Mansue, whose biological wines are produced without animal fining agents. The 137 CARMENERE and MERLOT from this producer carry both bio certification and vegan status.
We list vegan certification clearly on each product page so you don't have to guess.
→ Browse our certified vegan wines
Our vegan-certified wines:
- 137 CARMENERE IGT Veneto — biological, vegan, no added sulphites
- MERLOT IGT Veneto — biological, vegan, no added sulphites
- BARBARO Rosso IGT Veneto — vegan, biological, from Le Baite in Mansue