What makes wine vegan? And what makes wine non-vegan?

Substances of animal origin may be used during the winemaking process. These are no longer present in the wine itself, thus do not need to be indicated on the label. However, this means the wine is no longer vegan. But how do you know whether a wine is vegan? This article will help you with this, among other things.

For both environmental and nutritional reasons, the number of people in the world living exclusively on a plant-based diet is increasing steadily. For wine lovers, it is of course then essential that the wine they consume is also vegan.

I get bored of hearing the joke that all wine is vegan because it is made from grapes. The reality is much more complicated than that. Grapes and fermented wine may come into contact with substances of animal origin at various points during the winemaking process. The most critical part of the process is so-called fining. The purpose of this operation is to clarify and stabilise the wine, that is to remove any small solid particles that cause turbidity - which are almost invisible to the naked eye - and to make it protein stable. That is, to ensure that any proteins do not precipitate in heat and cold, because that will result in an unappealing haze, sliminess and smell.

Fining agents are often of animal origin. Ox blood was used in the past, but this practice has now disappeared completely. What remains are egg whites, gelatine extracted from bovine bones, casein found in mammalian and human milk and, less frequently, fish bladders. Although the fining agents works by attaching itself to the undesirable particles and forming a sediment with them, which is then removed from the wine, if any of the above additives are used, the wine is no longer vegan. It is unacceptable to vegans (and to the authorised certification bodies) that any substance of animal origin should be introduced, even temporarily, into the process. The good news is that there are more and more plant-based alternatives. These include wheat, potato or pea protein.

It is important to know that organic certification does not automatically mean that the wine is vegan. Especially since biodynamic farming often uses animal manure in the vineyard, for example. Chicken manure pellets, which contain bone meal and bone marrow in addition to the chicken manure, are also certified organic. Bone meal, which aids absorption, may also be present in leaf fertilisers. In the winery, besides fining agents, the most used animal product is sheep’s tallow, which is used is barrel making. Any of the above may also be a reason for exclusion for some vegetarians and vegans.

However, the above statement is also true in reverse: not all vegan wines are organic. The organic label means that the product is produced without chemicals. Fining agents and organic fertilisers are not considered chemicals and as already mentioned, they do not appear in the final product. Those vegans who can tolerate manure but not fining agents of animal origin should look for natural wines. In the spirit of naturalness, many winemakers do not fine their wine at all, but try to protect it by other methods.

Wineries cannot arbitrarily label their bottles as vegan; they need to be certified by an independent organisation. In Hungary, "vegan" is officially certified only by the so-called V-Label, the European Vegetarian Trademark (yellow plant on a green background or green plant on a yellow background). The trademark is protected and is owned by the German organisation V-Label GmbH in cooperation with the European Vegetarian Union. In Hungary, the only organisation entitled to issue the V-Label trademark is the Eco-Valley Foundation; winemakers must apply to them for authorisation. The cost depends on the winery’s size, but for a winery with an annual capacity of 30,000 bottles, this can exceed half a million forints (approximately €1,250) per year.

Since certification costs a lot of money, not everyone uses it, even if they comply with the relevant regulations. However, there is a site called https://www.barnivore.com, where you can search to see if a particular drink is vegan. (If it is in the database of course.) It's also worth trying Hungarian wines on the platform: this is not an advertisement, rather the result of a random test, but Royal Tokaji, for example, makes vegan wines. The site is not 100% reliable, on the one hand you can be added to the list by making a notification and on the other, updates are not guaranteed. (The data from Royal Tokaji, for example, are from 2020.) So the safest thing to do is to ask the wine merchant or winery directly before buying or visiting the winery.

Photos: Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency