Vegan Wine

What is Vegan Wine?

Vegan friendly wines are made without the use of any animal products throughout the entire production of the wine. Animal by products often enter the wine production chain during the pre-bottling clarification process known as ‘fining’. The process is often deemed essential in order to remove cloudiness, ‘off flavours’ and residual proteins.

Thankfully, there are alternative vegan friendly vinification methods which involve excluding the fining process altogether, or utilising earth based fining agents such as plant casein limestone, carbon, kaolin clay bentonite clay, silica gel or vegetable plaques. All of which have zero impact on the taste and quality of the wine.

Why is Wine not Typically Vegan?

The wine making clarification process called 'fining' often makes wines not vegan friendly, through using agents such as isinglass (fish bladder protein), gelatine (animal protein), albumin (egg whites), or casein (milk protein) which helps the wines to age better. However, these additives are precipitated out with the haze molecules in the final process.

There are an increasing number of French winemakers utilising vegan friendly fining ingredients during the fining process or they skip the process completely, by allowing time for this to happen naturally. Whilst these vegan friendly wines may be labelled with the Vegan Society sunflower or simply marked as Vegan Friendly in the bottle label description, winemakers are not required to disclose their fining ingredients on their wines. Thereby, there are an increasing number of French artisan wines that may be vegan friendly but have not been clearly labelled as such- particularly on wines produced by smaller, independent French wine producers.  

At Pierre Hourlier Wines, we have direct contact with almost all of the wine producers behind the wines that we sell, and we have sourced a selection of delectable vegan-friendly wines, making them easily identifiable for you.

Are Bottles Labelled Vegan Friendly? 

Very often wine bottles are not labelled vegan friendly, nor are details of the fining agents listed on a wine bottle. However there is an increasing demand for vegan friendly wines, and therefore there are an increasing number of French wine producers adding the Vegan Society sunflower logo, or simply detailing it’s suitability on the wine bottle label.

Buy Vegan Wine from Pierre Hourlier Wines

At Pierre Hourlier Wines, we have taken the difficulty out of identifying which wines are vegan friendly, by making each vegan suitable wine easily identifiable on our online store. Not only have the wines been selected for their vegan friendly certification, they have also been sourced for their quality, exceptional flavour profile and admirable wine production methods, often being Organic or Biodynamic certified.

Each product description not only details if it is a vegan friendly wine marked with a ‘V’, the product information also details whether the wine has been produced to Organic or Biodynamic standards. Organic wines being those wines that have been produced using grapes grown to organic standards. Since 2012, this certification also places restrictions on the wine vinification methods. Biodynamic wines have been produced to the highest organic standards, prohibiting any use of unnatural chemicals, pesticides or unsustainable viticulture practices. The wine grower utilities a range of traditional and alternative/holistic production methods to ensure that the ecosystem, terroir and the wines produced are in balance and are as naturally produced as possible.

Whilst Organic and Biodynamic wines do not necessarily exclude animal derivatives in the vinification methods of wine production, in general, they are usually a great starting place in your quest for vegan friendly wines as, more often than not, if the wine producer has cared to go through the stringent production requirements for biodynamic certification, they very often seek to exclude animal by products in order to create an environmentally sustainable product as possible.

Vegan Red Wines

At Pierre Hourlier Wines, we have a fantastic offering of a vegan friendly wine, brought to you from French artisan wine producer Domaine Horgelus.

Domaine Horgelus's Cotes de Gascogne Rouge De Gala is made from a balanced blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Tannat grape varietals, produced on Horgelus's plot called 'Gala'.

The harmony between the grape varietals and terroir produces an elegant and spicy wine, revealing intense notes of blackberry and blackcurrant. With its smooth tannins, it is a perfect accompaniment to chunky spiced aubergine grills and non-dairy Gouda style cheeses.

Vegan White Wines

At Pierre Hourlier Wines, we have a succulent selection of vegan friendly white wines, sourced, tasted and brought to you directly from French artisan wine producers. If you’re looking to balance affordability with quality, or seeking an opulent white wine for a special occasion, we have got you covered.

At great value, superb quality, Domaine Horgelus's Côtes De Gascogne Colombard-Sauvignon, is a quaffable yet elegant, dry white wine. Made from Colombard and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, tasting notes reveal an elegant balance of citrus and floral aromas, which follow through well to the palate. A very refreshing, full of flavour wine.

For a sumptuous, decadent touch to a white wine, try our 100% Sauvignon Blanc Pouilly-Fumé from producer Domaine Masson-Blondelet. The Clos Du Château Paladi brims with elegant peach aromas, remaining soft and round with added refreshing acidity. A fantastic pairing with a roasted, creamy tahini cauliflower dish. The refreshing acidity of the wine, exquisitely cutting through the creaminess of the rich tahini base. It is also admirably produced to Biodynamic standards.

Vegan Rosé Wines

From the well esteemed wine producer Domaine Horgelus, their Côtes De Gascogne Rosé is a stunning example of a dry rosé wine.  Born from the marriage of Merlot, Tannat and Cabernet grape varietals, this wine reveals an intense and complex bouquet composed of wild strawberries, citrus fruits and fresh blackcurrants.

Vegan Wine FAQ

How do I know which products are Vegan Friendly?

At Pierre Hourlier Wines, we have taken the difficulty out of identifying which wines are vegan friendly, by making each vegan wine easily identifiable on our online store. Each product description not only details if it is a vegan friendly wine marked with a ‘V’, the product information also details whether the wine has been produced to Organic or Biodynamic standards- a certification that is increasingly important to our buyers.

Does Vegan Wine Taste Different?

No, vegan friendly wines do not taste different. Only the fining process in winemaking renders wines unsuitable for vegan consumption. The fining process has very little to no impact on the flavour profile of a wine, which is more impacted by the regional terroir, grape variety and wine making process.  

Is Vegan Wine Organic?

Whilst a wine may be suitable for vegan consumption, it does not mean that it has been produced to organic standards or biodynamic standards. Wines that have been produced using earth based fining agents, may still have utilised pesticides and other non-organic substances in the growing of the grapes and subsequent wine production.

Whilst many French wine producers that care to exclude animal derivatives from their wine production practices often take the step to produce wines to organic standards, this should not be assumed.

At Pierre Hourlier Wines, we have made wine selecting easier to tailor to your needs, by clearly identifying which wines are vegan friendly, organic or biodynamic in each of our product descriptions.  We also detail if the wine has received any prestigious awards so that you know if a wine is not just suitable and ethical, but also a delicious winner!

Are Suphites in Wine Vegan?

Yes, sulphites are in vegan friendly wines. As with all wines, there are two kinds of sulphites; those that naturally occur in all wine as a natural by-product of the fermentation process. Secondly, added sulphites, added to wines to enable a wine to be safely aged along with destroying negative microbial elements that would leave a wine tasting awful. If the wine contains added sulphites over a regulated level (amounts vary depending on if it is a white or red wine), the wine bottle will detail that sulphites are contained, on the bottle label. To put the amounts into context, there are considerably more sulphites in a portion of dried fruit, crisps, or most pizza bases, than your glass of wine.

If sulphite levels are a concern for you, organic and biodynamic produced wines often are ‘low intervention’ and thereby often lower in sulphites than traditionally produced wines. If the sulphite range is lower than that required for labelling purposes, it can be marked as ‘sulphite free’ or “sans soufre”.