What is vegan wine?
Quick answer
Vegan wine is made without any animal-derived products. The key difference is in fining: conventional wines often use egg white, casein (milk protein) or gelatine to clarify the wine, while vegan wines use plant-based alternatives like bentonite clay or pea protein — or skip fining entirely.
Detailed answer
Grapes are inherently vegan, but the winemaking process can introduce animal-derived products. The critical step is fining — a clarification technique where a substance is added to the wine to bind with suspended particles and make the wine clear.
Traditional fining agents include egg white (widely used in Bordeaux to soften red wine tannins), casein (milk protein, common for whites), gelatine (from pigs or cattle) and isinglass (fish bladder protein, used for whites and sparkling wines). Although these agents are removed after fining, minute traces may remain.
Vegan-friendly alternatives are now widely available: bentonite (natural clay, the most common), pea or potato protein, activated charcoal and PVPP (a synthetic polymer). Many winemakers also choose to skip fining entirely, letting the wine clarify naturally through sedimentation over time.
There is no specific EU regulation for "vegan wine" labelling, but several private certifications exist: V-Label (European), the Vegan Society trademark (UK) and Eve Vegan (France). The market for vegan wine is growing rapidly — demand in Belgium has risen by over 30% between 2020 and 2025.
One important distinction: vegan wine is not necessarily organic or natural. A wine can be vegan while still coming from conventional farming. On expertvin.be, you can identify vegan-friendly wines through our product filters.