The production of wine often includes a process called fining (or "clarifying"), in which fining agents are added to wine to remove proteins,

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

, and other suspended organic particles, and later filtered out. Fining agents can be either

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

, carbon, or clay-based. Animal-based fining agents include gelatin,

isinglass Isinglass () is a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish. It is a form of collagen used mainly for the clarification or fining of some beer and wine. It can also be cooked into a paste for specialised gluing purposes. The ...

, egg white (albumen), and

casein Casein ( , from Latin ''caseus'' "cheese") is a family of related phosphoproteins ( αS1, aS2, β, κ) that are commonly found in mammalian milk, comprising about 80% of the proteins in cow's milk and between 20% and 60% of the proteins in hum ...

. Since the fining agent is filtered back out of the wine, the labeling of these additives is not required or regulated in most places. However, the use of animal-derived additives in wine production is a matter of ethical concern in vegetarianism and

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet (nutrition), diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is kn ...

Non-vegetarian/vegan additives

Examples of common animal products used as fining agents are gelatin, isinglass, casein, and egg albumen. Dried bull's

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...

was also used in some

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

countries but, as a legacy of

bovine spongiform encephalopathy Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is an incurable and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include abnormal behavior, trouble walking, and weight loss. Later in the course of t ...

, is not allowed in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

or the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

Gelatin

The most common

animal product An animal product is any material derived from the body of an animal. Examples are fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, and lesser known products, such as isinglass and rennet. Animal by-products, as defined by the USDA, are products harvested or m ...

used for fining is gelatin, due to its potency and effectiveness. Gelatin is made from the boiling of animal parts. Wine specifically responds best to type A gelatin, which is derived from the boiling of pig's skin. It takes only one ounce of gelatin to clarify 1,000 gallons of wine. Gelatin is used in both white and red wines to fix haze/color and to adjust the flavor or bitterness of the wine.

Isinglass

Isinglass is derived from fish bladders. It is primarily used to clear white wines. Like gelatin, isinglass needs to be used sparingly to prevent residual traces in the wine due to its potency.

Casein

Casein is the main protein found in cow's milk. It makes up 80% of the proteins and is derived by first skimming milk of its fat, then a process of precipitation to separate remaining particles of the milk and in the end be left with casein proteins. Casein is used in both red and white wines to clarify and treat and prevent oxidization.

Egg Albumen

Egg

albumen Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms aro ...

are the whites of a raw chicken egg. It is most commonly used in the clarification of red wines to remove excess tannins.

Vegan and vegetarian alternative fining agents

As an alternative to animal products, carbon,

bentonite Bentonite () is an absorbent swelling clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite (a type of smectite) which can either be Na-montmorillonite or Ca-montmorillonite. Na-montmorillonite has a considerably greater swelling capacity than Ca-m ...

, a

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

mineral, and

polyvinylpolypyrrolidone Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (polyvinyl polypyrrolidone, PVPP, crospovidone, crospolividone, or E1202) is a highly cross-linked modification of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The cross-linked form of PVP is used as a disintegrant (see also excipients) in ...

are the most common to be used to

clarify Clarification, clarifications, or clarify may refer to: * Clarification (journalism) * Clarification (cooking), purification of broths * Clarification, preparation of clarified butter * Clarification and stabilization of wine * Clarification (w ...

wine. In Australia, winemakers are required to list the use of potential allergens such as casein and albumin on the label. Still, they are not obliged to list the use of other animal-based fining agents such as gelatin or isinglass. In the EU, regulations only stipulate that wines fined using milk or egg products (both allergens) must be clearly labelled. Some winemakers believe that fining removes desirable flavours and aromas and instead let the wine's sediments settle naturally, which is a time-consuming process. Natural wines are a growing trend, which are unfiltered by their very nature.

Labeling requirements

It is not required for products to disclose whether they are vegan/vegetarian or not. Even products that choose to label their products with titles, are not required to show proof that they are free of animal byproducts, animal testing, or any form of animal exploitation. In the United States, it is not required that alcohol labels disclose even major allergens. There was a proposal submitted by the Tax and Trade Bureau in 2006 to mandate the labeling of major allergens such as milk, eggs, and fish included in the production of wine (whether it is filtered out or not). in 2011, Dr. Emilia Vassilopoulou published a study conducted by herself and her colleagues in an attempt to determine if

allergen An allergen is a type of antigen that produces an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat that would otherwise be harmless to the body. Such reactions are called allergies. In technical terms ...

s (milk, egg, and fish products used as fining agents) should be labeled on the packaging of the product. Their goal was to find, in a controlled environment, if people with certain allergens would have reactions after drinking wine that had been fined with said allergen. The findings showed no reactions through

in-vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called " test-tube experiments", these studies in biology and ...

methods, but had positive skin pricks tests in patients who consumed/were allergic to wines fined with milk, fish, and eggs. The findings were so minimal that they agreed that the labeling is not necessary. However, this does prove that there are still particles of these animal proteins leftover in the wine.

References

External links

VegNews Vegan Wine Guide

Barnivore.com – Vegan Alcohol Directory

VegNews Vegan Wines 101

Goodwill Wine — Vegan Wine Info
{{Wines Vegetarianism and drinks Vegetarianism