Every wine is made from grapes, but not every wine is vegetarian or vegan. Until the fermentation process is complete, the wine appears to be vegan. However, after the sugar is converted into ethanol, the wine undergoes filtration through a so-called fining agent. This is particularly true for wines produced in larger facilities and exported to foreign markets, where the entire process is accelerated, making filtration unavoidable, especially for white wines. Many homemade wines and those produced in small wineries undergo no refinement process because the wine naturally clarifies at a slow, natural pace.
The fining agent involves substances used to remove unwanted proteins, colorings, and other organic particles in the wine, and these substances are mostly of animal origin. They are added to the wine to bind to undesirable substances. Such agents often contain animal blood and bone marrow, the milk protein casein, fibers from shrimp shells, egg proteins, fish oil, gelatin, and similar ingredients. If a producer uses fining agents containing any of the above, then the wine cannot be labeled as vegetarian or vegan.
However, there are substances that can replace those of animal origin, such as activated carbon, limestone, silica gel, plant-based casein, kaolin clay, and bentonite.
All the mentioned agents added to the wine are not found in the final list of ingredients because they are filtered out with other substances.
Alongside the mentioned fine filtering agents, animal parts are also used for sealing bottles, such as beeswax or agglomerated corks that use milk-based adhesives.
As vegetarianism and veganism are rapidly spreading worldwide, wines with “animal-friendly” labels are beginning to take up more space on store shelves.
Labels like ‘V’, ‘veg’, or ‘vegan’ indicate that the wine has a vegan status.
Additionally, lovers of vegan wines can also try wines with a kosher label because they are implicitly vegan, considering that kosher dietary laws strictly prohibit any contact with animal by-products.
Many Croatian wines are produced through organic farming, but they are not vegan, so it’s important to pay attention when buying if you don’t consume animal by-products. The organic and sustainable revolution in wine production is in full swing in Croatia, but the vegan movement is still waiting for its time.