Lesson of the week. What makes a wine VEGAN.

Lesson of the week. What makes a wine VEGAN.

In normal winemaking practice, after wine has been fermented, it is full of particles both big & small. Before it is bottled the wine needs to be "fined", the process of removing those particles.

This is commonly done by adding protein to the tank and as the protein settles to the bottom of the tank to below the outlet, the protein attracts and captures those particles clarifying the wine ready for bottling and sale.

The protein is often a product of egg whites or fish and you may notice on the back label of the bottle "may contain traces of eggs or fish" This definitely renders the wine non-vegan although there probably aren't any traces remaining and definitely imparts no flavour.

At southern Highlands Winery, we use Bentonite to fine our wine. Bentonite is a very absorbent clay derived from decayed volcanic ash. It is totally inert and imparts no flavours or odours. It too settles below the outlet of the tank leaving behind very clear wine, and totally VEGAN Friendly.