Can Vegans Drink Prosecco

Prosecco is the perfect drink to celebrate with - whether you’ve been promoted at work, you’re raising a toast at a wedding, or you’re simply celebrating getting through the day, prosecco is always a good choice.

However, is prosecco suitable for vegans? More and more people are becoming vegan, with over 600,000 people with a vegan diet in the UK alone.

Wine labels can be difficult to read, and often don’t include animal products used, so it can be tough knowing whether wine is vegan or not, regardless of whether it’s red, white, or sparkling.

Keep reading to find out whether prosecco is vegan-friendly, to learn more about organic prosecco and sugar levels, as well as how vegan Prosecco tastes.

Can Vegans Drink Prosecco?

Prosecco is made from fermented grapes, so it should be vegan, right? Well, if you’re a vegan or just avoid animal products, you’ll be pleased to know that many prosecco’s are suitable for vegans. However, it all comes down to the fining process.

During the fining process, animal products may be used, leaving the overall product unsuitable for vegans.

Even if a tiny amount of animal product is used or has touched the prosecco, vegans won’t be able to enjoy the beverage.

There are countless vegan prosecco options out there that haven’t used animal products in the production process.

As veganism has been on the rise for many years, businesses, supermarkets, and winemakers have all made changes to accommodate the growth of veganism, vegetarianism, pescetarianism, and flexitarianism.

What Are Fining Agents?

Before the wine is ready for consumption, most vintners will put it through the fining process, whether it’s red, white, or sparkling.

This is to ensure that the wine is stabilised, clear and has a smooth texture, so there aren’t floating particles and it doesn’t have a cloudy appearance.

Some vintners will choose not to put it through the fining process, as they believe wine tastes better when it has retained its natural textures and aromas.

Wine that hasn’t been fined generally tastes more earthy and has a stronger taste, which may not appeal to all palettes. The fining process is where many wines become non-vegan.

The fining process involves using fining agents to filter out the excess yeast and other sediments that may be floating in the wine.

Many fining agents use animal products. Some animal products commonly used as fining agents include:

• Fish oil
• Fish bladder
• Gelatin
• Animal blood
• Bone marrow
• Casein (aka milk protein)
• Egg whites
• Chitin (from crustacean shells)

Fining agents are used on a small scale, and only a small amount will remain in the prosecco.

The fining agents either evaporate or will be filtered out, but any prosecco that has been filtered using animal products isn’t suitable for vegans.

Some of the animal products used are suitable for vegetarians or pescatarians - for example, egg whites, fish bladder, gelatin, or chitin.

The good news is that there are fining agents that are suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians alike. Some common vegan-friendly fining agents include:

• Pea gelatin
• Silica clay
• Silica gel
• Kaolin (a type of clay mineral)
• Activated charcoal
• Kieselguhr (sedimentary rock)

Wine labels can be unclear, and vintners aren’t legally required to include information about the fining agents used, so it’s often best to do research online first or consult vegan groups on Facebook or Quora beforehand.

What About Organic Prosecco?

Organic Prosecco is made from using grapes that have been organically farmed. This means that no chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fertilisers were used on the vine, which is much better for the environment.

Organic wine also won’t contain any preservatives - particularly sulphur, so they may have a shorter shelf life.

Many organic wines won’t have gone through the fining process either, so may appear cloudier and have a slightly stronger taste than others.

Organic prosecco contains around 32% more resveratrol than regular prosecco, which can help to lengthen your life expectancy, as well as slow visible signs of ageing.

Where Can I Find Vegan Prosecco?

It can be difficult to know which prosecco is vegan as animal products aren’t often listed on the label, and many brands have vegan Prosecco but won’t advertise it on the label.

This means that you’ve most likely tried and tasted vegan prosecco without even realising it - as there isn’t a difference in taste.

In 2021, there are more vegan options than ever - whether you want a vegan burger, a vegan cake, or a vegan wine, there will be various options in your local supermarket.

People may have been put off trying vegan options in the past as they weren’t as accessible and may have been more expensive, but it’s become very easy to find a vegan meal, snack, or drink.

If you want some good vegan prosecco recommendations, then you could always ask fellow vegans.

Try joining community groups on Facebook and asking the vegan Facebook community, or look through informative Twitter threads for tips and tricks, or even type vegan Prosecco in on your TikTok search bar and look for people’s honest reviews.

Google can also be helpful and can bring up quality wine companies that offer quality vegan and/ or organic wines and prosecco.

Does Vegan Prosecco Taste Different To Non-Vegan Prosecco?

If you haven’t tried vegan prosecco yet, you’ll be glad to know that it tastes the same as regular prosecco.

The only difference occurs during the fining process - and if vegan-friendly fining agents are used, there won’t be a difference in taste.

Fining agents will either evaporate or get filtered out, so whatever fining agents are used, the taste won’t be affected.

However, if the vegan prosecco you choose hasn’t been fined, then you may notice a difference in taste.

Prosecco that hasn’t been through the fining process may look slightly cloudier than your typical prosecco and may have a stronger taste.

Some people find unfined wine more acidic than usual too, but it all depends on the brand.

Why Choose Vegan Prosecco?

Many people choose vegan options to avoid participating in animal cruelty, so you can enjoy vegan prosecco without worrying about the animals that have been harmed to make it.

Even if a tiny amount of animal product is used, there is an animal that has been affected by it.

For example, the fish gelatin used would’ve involved harming a fish, or bone marrow used will have involved harming another animal.

Vegan options can also be better for the environment, as the animal farming industry is one of the larger polluters around the globe, accounting for a whopping 14.5% of all manmade greenhouse gases.

If the world went vegan, all food-related emissions on the planet would drop around 70%.

Animal farming requires a lot of energy - feeding, watering, processing, transporting, and storing livestock can create a lot of pollution, and it doesn’t help that forests are destroyed to accommodate the farms and factories.