Over the past few years, I have increasingly run across wines labeled as "vegetarian" or "vegan." To the uninitiated, this understandably is a bit perplexing. An article that appeared in the Times Online today helps clear up the mystery. By the times wines are bottled, of course, no animal ingredients remain, but many figure prominently in the processing of wine.
There are different criteria for what constitutes vegetarian wine versus vegan wine. Vegetarian wines, for example, allow for the use of casein (a milk protein) along with egg whites in the clarifying of wines. Vegan wines do not permit the use of these, along with other animal products like isinglass and dried blood powder (fish products used as fining agents.)
I have never considered vegetarianism to be a sacrifice. (How could anyone complain about the sacrifice of not eating meat, compared to the sacrifice of animals who die for it?) Nonetheless, I enjoy a nice glass of wine every now and then, and I am glad to know that more and more wine makers are beginning to offer vegetarian, vegan, and organic wine options. See below for a brief list of vegan and vegetarian wine producers and merchants:
Cheers!
