The main issue for vegetarians and vegans is the use of 'finings' during manufacture of beers and wines. An array of agents are used during the fining process to clarify and stabilise the drink. Wines and beers which have not been fined are less likely to be clear and bright or may form a haze once bottled. In addition, tannic red wines can be made less astringent by fining since some of the tannins are removed. The fining agent is a processing aid not an additive, so in theory none should remain in the wine. However, it is impossible to guarantee this and most vegetarians object to the actual use of the agent. You'd think organic would be better, that's often the case, but not always, so do check. There are over 50 additives allowed by the EU, but the wine industry is exempt from labelling laws. Food Labelling Regulations in the UK exclude all drinks with an alcohol content exceeding 1.2% by volume, meaning only very low or non-alcoholic beers, wines and ciders are required to list all ingredients. This is something the winemakers are fighting hard to keep as they don't want you seeing all the chemicals they use to make their wine. Not very helpful if you are vegan or vegetarian.

These are the most common agents used during the fining process.

Gelatine - from bones and connective tissues of cows or pigs
Isinglass - obtained from fish swim bladders
Chitin - derived from the shells of crabs or lobsters
Casein - obtained from milk
Albumin - from egg whites
Bentonite - a type of clay
Ox Blood - banned in Europe due to BSE

Bentonite is suitable for vegetarians and vegans because it is not an animal-derived product. Other vegan finings used are, kaolin and kieslguhr (clays), plant casein & synthetic polymers. Casein and Albumin are animal by-products and are therefore suitable for vegetarians but not for vegans. Any egg (free range or not) is considered vegetarian for the purpose of this site. Isinglass, Chitin, Ox blood and Gelatine are animal products and are therefore unsuitable for both vegetarians and vegans.

Isinglass finings are used extensively as a processing aid in the British brewing industry to accelerate the fining, or clarification, of beer. They are used particularly in the production of cask-conditioned beers, known as real ale, although there are a few cask ales available which are not fined using isinglass. The finings, a pure form of gelatine, flocculate the live yeast in the beer into a jelly-like mass, which settles to the bottom of the cask. Left to itself, beer will clear naturally; however, the use of isinglass finings accelerates the process. Isinglass is sometimes used with an auxiliary fining, which further accelerates the process of sedimentation. Non-cask beers which are destined for kegs, cans or bottles are often pasteurised and filtered. The yeast in these beers tends to settle to the base of the storage tank naturally, so the sediment from these beers can often be filtered without using isinglass. However, some breweries still use isinglass finings for non-cask beers, especially when attempting to repair bad batches.

Welcome to Veggie Wines, I'm creating this site as an information resource in a world where sometimes you have no idea if something is suitable for a vegetarian or vegan and ringing the manufacturer isn't always an option. I wanted to have everything in one place rather than having to trawl the web for every single product. I thought I'd share the information I find as others may find it useful. Judging by the visits in the first few months you do! While certain supermarkets label their own products, mainstream brewers and distilleries rarely inform you of their suitability on the label. We'll try to get all the answers in one place, and keep it up to date.

Helpful Hint:- All M&S wines are labelled if suitable for vegetarians. All Co-op wines are labelled if vegan too!