IS VEGAN WINE DIFFERENT? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

You might assume wine is naturally vegan — after all, it is just fermented grapes. But traditional winemaking uses some surprising animal-derived ingredients that make many wines unsuitable for vegans.

WHY IS SOME WINE NOT VEGAN?

The issue is fining agents. After fermentation, wine can be cloudy — full of natural particles from the yeast and grape solids. Winemakers traditionally clarify the wine by adding fining agents that attract and bind these particles, causing them to fall to the bottom where they can be removed.

Common fining agents include egg whites (albumin), casein (milk protein), gelatin (animal collagen), and isinglass (derived from fish bladder). Although these agents are removed from the finished wine, trace amounts can remain — and their use makes the wine unsuitable for vegans and vegetarians.

HOW IS VEGAN WINE MADE?

Vegan wines either use plant-based fining agents — bentonite clay is the most common — or skip fining entirely and allow the wine to clarify naturally over time. Unfined wines may appear slightly cloudy, which is completely normal and actually a sign of minimal intervention.

ARE ALL ORGANIC WINES VEGAN?

No — organic certification covers how grapes are farmed, not how wine is made. You can have certified organic wine that uses animal-derived fining agents. Always look for a specific vegan certification or statement.

ALL LOCO WINES ARE VEGAN FRIENDLY

Every wine in the Loco range is certified organic AND approved vegan by The Vegetarian Society. We do not use animal-derived fining agents at any stage. What is in the bottle is grapes — and nothing else. Shop the range at locowines.co.uk.