And yes, we are going to talk about this popular alcoholic drink that is not suitable for vegetarians and what we are going to see below is quite unexpected.
Wine is an essential part of French culture. In 2022, France was the second largest producer. Whether red, white, rosé, organic or natural, it is true that we like to enjoy it to accompany a cheese platter as an aperitif or during a meal. It is also true that the French are interested in the world of oenology. According to the SoWine* barometer, 48% of French people consider themselves enlightened amateurs.
We often associate wine with a vegetarian or even vegan product. A “vegan” label is sometimes even present on the bottles. However, even if we think we know this drink, there are details that we do not know. Can wine really be categorized as a vegan product? The answer is no and we will explain to you why.
Some wines contain animal products
The site Wine Enthusiast explains that some producers add animal products during the winemaking process. One of the final manufacturing steps is fining, which involves removing deposits in the wine to make it shinier. However, fortunately not all winegrowers carry out this operation and to our knowledge, we do not know of any winegrowers producing alcohol-free wines who would practice this type of collage.
What elements are taken into account in the preparation?
During this sticking, we mainly find the presence of egg whites. This product helps eliminate the hardest tannins. However, that's not all, cow's milk protein can also be present in white wines along with casein. The goal is to make them brighter and remove oxidative odors. Gelatin can be used at the bonding stage. Here, it gives a bright color to white wines and a softness to red wines. We can also see traces of ichthyocolla (a fish glue) or chitosan (a carbohydrate derived from crustacean shells) to remove excess color from white wines.
We can bet that these practices will not be replicated in the majority of alcohol-free wines!
🍷 Cheers!
*Examining purchasing behaviors in the wine and spirits industry by 2023
