Vegetarian Wine

Posted on 2008/07/15 17:30:19 (July 2008).

Vegetarian labelling on wines in shops and restaurants is frustratingly rare. The chief culprit is of course finings (particularly isinglass, from the swim bladder of sturgeons) but there are other animal derived ingredients used in wine occasionally. I don't believe wines made without any non-vegetarian ingredients are actually that rare though, it's just a question of the wine producers actually bothering to include this information on the label. Unlike food, alcoholic drinks are not required by law to include an ingredients list on them, so you can't even check for yourself easily.

Supermarket own brands often have better labelling. The Co-op and Marks and Spencer are both very good at labelling their wines as to whether or not they are vegetarian. Other supermarkets (for example Saisnbury's) do less well on this front. they only seem to put labelling on their more expensive wine ranges (Taste the Difference and So Organic) and, in my experience, don't bother with their ordinary cheaper ranges. I also wasn't particularly impressed with the effort made by Waitrose on this front.

That aside though, in a standard wine shop / off licence in the UK, it can often be nigh on impossible to locate any wines with vegetarian labelling. I have almost never seen non-supermarket wines with "suitable for vegetarians" or equivalent on the label. The only exception I have found so far is the French producer M. Chapoutier.

Other than that you just have to resort to researching wine on the web, which is not particularly convenient when you're just popping into a wine shop to get something for dinner on the way back from work. However, thanks to the web I have learnt that most champagnes are vegetarian (for example Veuve Cliquot) and also the famous Lebanese wine Chateau Musar is vegetarian.

It seems like such a small effort for wine producers to label their wines accordingly, and they'd undoubtedly get an increase in sales from people like me as a result.

Now what's that supercac I hear about vegetarian wines?! Are you crazy?!!!

Let me tell you that, here in France, regulations on additives are very strict. And it's precisely because it's very strict that we are losing ground on the global market. It's very difficult here to adulterate ("frelater" in French) a wine in order to give it a specific bouquet.

Ther are NO animal substances in French wines.

P.s.: I know Chapoutier! He believes in 'biodynamy' (biodynamie), which is a contested form of agriculture. It's goes further than organic agriculture.
His "propriété viticole" isn't far from here.

Posted by Sheri at 2008/07/27 17:24:41.

No animal substances, apart form eggs, perhaps. We use it to "precipitate" particles in suspension when the wine is stocked in barrels. It's perfectly natural and better than chemical agents.

Posted by Sheri at 2008/07/27 17:33:43.

Sheri: hmmm I'm not sure about that - I was pretty sure a lot of French wines (particularly red wines) used isinglass as a clarifier. I suppose in a sense it is not an ingredient as such - you use it to remove the bits of the wine you don't want, but I don't believe it actually remains in the finished product...

Posted by John at 2008/07/28 08:11:04.

Ah well, maybe you're right. Just wanted to have a go at you. You're my "souffre-douleur".

Posted by Sheri at 2008/07/28 11:59:17.

Paid a visit to a friend of mine who is growing organic wine (Stéphane Othegy - Côte-Rôtie appellation). He uses natural clay for the fining process. Eggs are now prohibited (allergen).

Posted by Sheri at 2008/09/12 06:48:09.

Is his wine available outside of France?

Posted by John at 2008/09/12 08:06:51.

I know his clientèle is mostly international. He exports his wines round the world, though his production is rather limited.
Beware of the price. It goes from 15 euros (st Joseph 07) to 36 euros (Côte-Rôtie 07 - sélection massale).
And - this is important - you're supposed to wait at least 5 to 7 years before drinking it.

If you're still interested, I'll ask him about shipping costs.

Posted by Sheri at 2008/09/12 11:11:51.

addenda:36 euros a bottle, naturally.

Posted by Sheri at 2008/09/12 11:23:53.

Well French wine is overrated and crap, Italy invented the bloody thing and for sure apart from pork feet we do not use any other animal bit. There you go! :D

Posted by lox at 2009/08/20 17:41:13.

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