Why Choose Vegan Wine?

More and more people are opting for a vegan diet - which means that more people are drinking vegan wine.

In 2021, more people are aware of the benefits of a vegan diet - not only the health benefits, but the benefits to the environment and the animal population.

But why is vegan wine becoming more popular? Why should you opt for vegan wine instead of regular wine?

Keep reading to learn all about vegan wine, and to find out why you should choose vegan wine.

Isn’t All Wine Vegan?

You may be surprised to hear that not all wine is vegan. Despite being made using predominantly yeast and grapes, animal products are sometimes added during the winemaking process.

The stage in which animal products get added to non-vegan wines is the fining process. Vintners will put wine through the finings process to clear any sediment as well as stabilise the wine before bottling.

Fining wine ensures that wine looks fresh and clear, as well as eliminating any unwanted aromas and flavours.

The fermenting process involved adding yeast to the grapes, which consumes the naturally occurring sugars in the grapes.

This can leave residue - particularly yeast, protein, and other organic particles.

Fining the wine gets rid of any unwanted residue, ensuring that the wine looks fresh and ready to drink.

In 2021, many vintners use vegan-friendly fining agents to fine the wine, but some will use animal products such as bone marrow, blood, milk protein, fish oil, fish bladder gelatin, egg whites, and crustacean shell protein.

Despite the fact that these ingredients are only used on a small scale and they will get either filtered or evaporated out, the wine will no longer be vegan once it has come into contact with animal products.

Many vintners will use vegan fining agents - such as kaolin (clay mineral), silica gel, silica clay, pea gelatine, or kieselguhr (sedimentary rock), and others will use vegetarian options such as milk protein or egg whites.

These options are not only suitable for those with a vegan diet, but are typically more natural and ultimately more healthy.

At ThinK Wine, our collection is suitable for vegetarians, pescatarians, and vegans alike - so if you’re unsure where to find vegan wine, look no further than ThinK.

Some vintners, however, will avoid using fining agents at all. Some winemakers believe that putting wine through the fining process strips it of its natural flavours, textures, and aromas.

However, many people prefer wine that has been fined - as unfined wine can often be cloudy with sediment floating around (if stored incorrectly).

It can take a while for wine to clarify naturally, as it involves waiting for gravity to do the job.

Depending on how it’s stored, it can take a couple of years for the sediment to settle at the bottom of the wine and the wine to clarify naturally without the need for filtration.

Why Choose Vegan Wine?

Veganism is on the rise for a reason, and more and more people are choosing to drink vegan wine instead of non-vegan options.

Vintners all over the world are taking note of the increase in veganism and adopting a more natural and vegan-friendly approach to making wine, or using vegan alternatives to fining agents.

If you're wondering how vegan wine tastes, you'll be glad to know that it tastes the same, if not better than regular wine. Click here to learn more about how vegan wine tastes. 

There are countless benefits to adopting a vegan diet or simply drinking vegan wine instead of regular wine.

From the health benefits to the environment, keep reading to find out why you should choose vegan wine next time you’re browsing the shelves of your local supermarket.

Vegan Wine Contains More Resveratrol

You may have heard a rumour that a glass of red wine every so often is bad for you - well, this might actually be true.

Red wine contains an antioxidant called resveratrol, which has numerous health benefits.

Resveratrol has anti-ageing properties that can not only slow down the effects of ageing and lengthen your lifespan but protect your body from one of the world’s biggest killers, cancer.

Organic wine tends to contain higher levels of resveratrol - and organic wines are usually also vegan. In fact, organic wine contains over 30% more resveratrol than your typical red wine.

Vegan Wine Contains Fewer Sulphites

Another reason that you should choose vegan wine instead of wine made using fining agents with animal products is that vegan wine contains fewer sulphites.

Sulphites (aka sulphur dioxide) are chemicals that can be dangerous if not moderated.

Some people may suffer an allergic reaction to the chemical, which can result in a rash and itchy skin, as well as stomach and digestive issues.

Asthmatics can also experience negative effects after consuming sulphites, so it’s best to steer clear and opt for organic and vegan options instead.

Sulphites can also leave you with a headache - so if your head starts to pound after a glass of red wine, it’s most likely down to high levels of sulphites.

Vegan Wine Has Fewer Dangerous Chemicals

As well as fewer sulphites, vegan wine contains fewer chemicals. Many vegan wines are made organically, which means that organic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilisers were used in the vineyard.

You’ll be glad to know that nothing chemical or artificial is added to the wine throughout the whole process, which is sure to be a lot better for you than wine that’s pumped full of chemicals.

Vegan Wine is Better For The Environment

Another reason that you should choose vegan wine is that it’s better for the environment.

One of the main reasons that people commit to a vegan diet is because the animal farming industry is one of the leading causes of pollution, and is therefore terrible for our environment.

The animal farming industry creates more waste than any other industry, so many people choose to cut meat and other animal products out of their diet entirely.

An excessive amount of energy is needed in the animal farming industry - feeding, storing, transporting, and generally maintaining the livestock can be costly in terms of energy.

As our planet’s population and appetite grows, we have to make space for the growing demand for animal products - which leads to acres and acres of forests being cut down every day.

Many vegan wines are also organic, which means that no chemicals are used on the vineyards.

Chemicals sprayed onto vines can damage the soil, and make it difficult for crops to grow in the future. It can also affect the local water supplies and the nearby wildlife.

Vegan Wine Is Cruelty-Free

You should choose vegan wine because no cruelty is involved in the winemaking process - so it’s basically guilt-free.

Cruelty is one of the other main reasons that people decide to commit to a vegan diet or make positive changes in their diet.

Even choosing vegan wine will save the lives of fish, shellfish, and other animals that products are used as fining agents.

Going vegan for just one month can save around 30 animals - and why should animals suffer to make wine? Even when animals haven’t been killed in the process, their products are still used.

Vegan Wine Is Not Too Expensive

There is a misconception that vegan products are more expensive than regular products.

Although this may have been true a few years ago, the gap in price has significantly lowered, and you won’t notice much of a price difference at all with vegan wines.

Even in the cases that vegan wine is more expensive, you are paying that little bit extra to protect the planet, to save animals, and to enjoy the natural flavours and aromas of the wine guilt-free.