Everything You Need to Know About Vegan Wines
There are many reasons why you should pour yourself a glass of wine. Moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to certain health benefits and it’s no surprise that many people consider a glass of wine a day, or two, as a valuable part of a healthy diet.
But wine is not great only for spending some me-time. Humanity and wine have a thousand years old relationship and wine has always been marked as a symbol of luxury, elegance and a classy lifestyle. We appreciate good wine when raising a toast for our success, celebrating various occasions with family and friends or enjoying a nice meal.
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There are many different types of wine you can choose from, and all of them come in a variety of tastes and colours. If you’re a wine enthusiast and like exploring different wines and styles, you must have heard about the benefits of drinking organic wine by now. But have you heard about vegan wines? Maybe you thought all wines are vegan, but that’s not always the case.
What Makes a Wine Vegan?
Wines are made from grapes, and essentially, wine is fermented grape juice. Yeasts, cultured or natural, convert the grape juice sugar into alcohol and it’s all vegan-friendly. But it’s often some traditional fining agents that can make a wine unsuitable for vegans.
Many wineries use animal products in the fining and fertilisation processes of winemaking. The most commonly used ones are fish bladders, egg whites, milk proteins, used to clarify the wine by removing tiny particles of sediment that can’t be removed by filtration. Even though these fining agents don’t pass through the final product, their usage still counts.
Many vineyards use animal products in their fertilisers, including blood, bone meal and fish emulsion. Whether you’re vegan or not, if you care what’s in the bottle, you can opt for vegan wines and enjoy your animal-friendly and eco-conscious choice.
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Vegan wine is made without animal products, so winemakers leave the particles to sink naturally to the bottom of the wine or use non-animal fining products, such as bentonite, which is a form of clay. Activated charcoal is another vegan-friendly agent that’s also used as well as plant-based proteins like patatin (potatoes), gluten, rice proteins, legumes proteins and more.
The move to more natural winemaking methods means allowing nature to take its course. The number of winemakers who are choosing not to fine or filter their wines is constantly growing and they are encouraging organic production as well as better promotion of vegan friendly wines for the rising consumer demand around the globe.
What Makes Vegan Wine So Trending Right Now?
As the vegan lifestyle is gaining popularity, people begin to understand the benefits it provides. The diet is one of the best ways to leading a healthier life, and enjoying some quality vegan wine is a part of it. There are various health and environmental benefits of this type of wine and it encourages people to choose vegan wine over other wines offered on the market. For that reason, manufacturers and producers are shifting their focus to create products that are completely free from animal derivates and cater to the needs of vegan consumers.
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Benefits of Drinking Organic Wine
Less Harmful Chemicals
Organic vineyards don’t use synthetic or artificial chemicals, pesticides or herbicide when they cultivate the grapes and nothing synthetic or artificial is added to the wine in the filtering and bottling process. For that reason, vegan wine is less likely to cause you health issues and are safer for consumption.
Vegan wines contain less sulphites, which are known as the chemicals that can cause an allergic reaction and are usually the main reason some people get a headache after having only a glass of wine. In a vegan wine, the level of sulphites is lower and often they don’t consist of any, however, sulphites are a natural by-product of fermentation, so they are not completely absent.
In the organic vegan wine process, any sulphites that may be found are part of this natural phenomenon, not added to increase the preservation of the wine. That’s why it’s most important to drink responsibly as moderate consumption is the key to all the health benefits you can get from wine.
Rich in Antioxidants
The antioxidant known as resveratrol has been found to act as an anti-aging chemical in our bodies and if taken moderately, it can fight inflammation, blood clotting and lower the risk of cancer. The great news is that vegan friendly wines tend to have higher levels of resveratrol compared to traditional wines, therefore they can promote good heart health and have anti-aging properties.
Better Impact on the Environment
The greatest advantage of choosing vegan wine is the positive impact it makes on the environment. Using chemicals and preservatives produces greenhouse emissions and using animal derivatives can cause harm to the environment. When it comes to organic cultivation and plant-based refining agents, there is no use of mineral fertilisers involved nor any kind of animal derivatives, which creates less impact on the environment and the local ecosystem is not harmed in the process of producing quality wine.
Unique Flavour
Grown in their natural state, with no use of chemicals and additional preservatives, vegan and organic wines often give a fresher and fruiter taste compared to traditional wines. And most importantly, they can easily enhance the taste of your foods.
