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Many wines are not vegetarian due to the use of animal products in the fining process. Vegetarian and vegan winemakers use non-animal fining agents or none at all. The type of fining agent used may not be indicated on the label, but can be found on vineyard websites.
The wine is made from grapes fermented with yeast. Despite vegetarian ingredients, many wines are not vegetarian. This is because vineyards add animal products to the wine to clarify it before bottling it. Vegetarian wine is treated with non-animal fining agents or untreated.
The vegetarian lifestyle means not eating meat or fish. Vegetarians are happy to eat animal products such as eggs, milk and cheese, unlike vegans. Wines can be non-vegetarian, vegetarian or vegan. Wines may not have this information on bottle labels in many countries, but producers can indicate how the wines are made on vineyard websites.
During the winemaking process, the wine develops a cloudiness, showing fermentation particles suspended in the liquid. Most wines undergo a stage known as fining, when the producer adds a substance to the wine that helps the particles break out of solution and be removed from the finished product. Many different substances can play this role. Bottled wine contains only traces of the fining agent.
Animal sources of fining agents include a preparation of swimbladder organ from fish, known commercially as isinglass. Another option is gelatin from animal carcasses, as well as chitosan, a product of the leftover shells of shellfish from fisheries. Historically, animal blood was another clarifying option. Vegetarian winemakers do not use any of these fining agents.
Milk casein protein can be used by vegetarian wineries. The white of an egg, more technically known as albumin, will also settle particles from the wine. A synthetic polymer clarifying agent can also be used. These forms of fining agents are not acceptable to vegan winemakers.
The vegan fining agents do not contain any animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products and, therefore, are also acceptable for vegetarian winemakers. Bentonite clay is the most common vegan fining agent. The passage of time can also ensure that the particles fall to the bottom of the wine, which has almost the same effect as clarification.
Some wines do not undergo any fining process, which can result in a cloudier finished product. Many winemakers may use clay or vegetarian fining processes on their wines, but this may not be mentioned on the label. White, red, rose and champagne wines can be produced in a vegetarian way if the vineyard chooses to do so.
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