MNN - Mother Nature Network

When I received wine samples from The Vegan Vine at the end of last week, I sent an email out to my friends who I would be watching the Academy Awards with over the weekend. I told them I had received a few bottles of vegan wine, told them varietals, and asked which I should bring for us to taste test during the Oscar party.

 

I immediately started getting return emails that said, “Aren’t all wines vegan?” That’s a very reasonable question since wine is made from grapes and the few things that may be added to wine certainly don’t come from animals.

 

However, as you can see in the photo above while the juice itself may be from non-animal sources, animal products can come in contact with wine during the refining and filtering process. Some of the commonly used animal products are:

 

 

If you aren’t a vegan, that’s not an issue, but it’s problematic for vegans when choosing wines. There are several wine producers that now make vegan wines, and one of those producers is The Vegan Vine.

 

My friends and I opened a bottle of The Vegan Vine Sauvignon Blanc to drink during the awards show, and we all agreed it’s a very good wine. It’s crisp, slightly sweet, brightly citrusy, with just a hint of the grassiness that Sauvignon Blancs are known for. It paired very nicely with the Brie and the Tarentaise cheeses on the cheese tray at the party. It sells for $14 a bottle on The Vegan Vine website, a fair price for this easy drinking wine.

 

The wines from The Vegan Vine carry the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing seal and the Certified Vegan seal. In addition to Sauvignon Blanc, they also produce a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Red Blend, and a Chardonnay.

 

Have you had any of the wines from The Vegan Vine or are their any vegan wines that have impressed you?

 

Wine, beer and spirits disclaimer: I am not paid by any producer of wine, beer or spirits to write about their product, although the company may provide me with a sample of the product. I am not a professional reviewer of wine, beer or spirits. I’ll write about the product if it’s something that I like and if I think the producer is working toward making the product in an environmentally friendlier fashion.