Can vegans drink wine?

Ask most people what wine is made from, and they’ll tell you grapes. Perhaps those who know a little more about wine will talk about other ingredients, like gelatin or isinglass. Many people with special diets – like vegans – might be left scratching their heads. You might find yourself asking can vegans drink wine?

The answer is yes, they can, there are lots of vegan wine options available for those cutting animal products from their diet. But if producers don’t have to include their ingredients on their wine bottles, how do you determine if wine is suitable for someone following a vegan diet?

What makes wine not vegan?

Some wines are clarified using a process called fining. Traditional producers of wine use fining agents that make wines not vegan, because the products they use come from animals. These include a milk protein called casein, egg whites, gelatin, and isinglass, which is a fish bladder protein. The use of gelatin and isinglass renders some wines unsuitable for vegetarians, but casein and egg whites – though not animal flesh – still come from animals, so aren’t suitable for vegans. 

Fining agents are used to make wine clear, by acting like a magnet to attract molecules present in lots of wines as they’re produced, particularly if they are young wines. 

But there are other, vegan-friendly ways to produce clear wines, and with the planet moving quickly towards a diet with reduced animal consumption, lots of wine producers are making the switch. 

Instead of using animal products, winemakers can use clay-based fining agents like bentonite, or activated charcoal, which remove unwanted protein and make wines suitable for vegans. 

How do I find vegan wine?

Because wine producers don’t have to include their ingredients on their bottles, it can be difficult to find vegan wine. 

Some supermarkets – such as Co-op and Sainsbury’s – label their own-brand vegan wine for your convenience. 

You can also use Barnivore, a database of thousands of alcohol brands producing vegan alcohol. Just type the brand name ad specifications into the search box, and their traffic light system will tell you if it’s vegan or not. 

Or, you can buy from companies like us, that only sell wine that’s suitable for vegans. Our wines are all certified organic and we can guarantee that absolutely anything you choose from our huge range of wines is suitable for your animal-free diet. See our full range.

Does vegan wine taste any different?

Vegan wine tastes no different than ordinary wine. In fact, you’ve probably already drank some without releasing it. There are lots of wines out there that are ‘accidentally’ vegan, in the same way Hob Knobs, Marmite, Starburst and Mr Kipling Apple and Blackcurrant Pies are all vegan without shouting about it.

So can vegans drink wine?  Yes, of course.