As the world starts to care more about animal rights and people are becoming increasingly more health-conscious, vegan wine is making a big mark on the wine market these days. As such, there are plenty of clubs out there for vegans to choose from.
Naturally, the best club for vegan wine is one that focuses on this exclusively. Vegan Wines is the top vegan wine club for more than just its wide selection of animal-friendly varietals. The ethics of the company is unrivaled and is one that vegans can support. Read the full Vegan Wines review here >> |
Be sure that the club actually offers vegan wines. That’s why it’s best to pick a club that deals exclusively in vegan wines, and only supports the wineries that don’t use any animal products at all. Also, choose a company that cares about animals.
There are plenty of wine clubs to go around, but finding one with even a limited selection of vegan alternatives isn’t the easiest to come across. We’ve checked all the clubs out there, and of all the ones that do provide vegan wine, put together our top 10 list, starting with Vegan Wines. There’s probably no surprises there.
This makes the perfect club for anyone with this diet because it’s 100% vegan, which means there’s no room for any errors or confusion about what you’re buying.
Read more about this ethical alternative to wine clubs in our review.
There’s few wines that Winc doesn’t offer in it’s subscriptions, or hasn’t offered before, so it’s only natural that you’ll find a good selection of vegan wines too.
Get the full picture of Winc and what our experiences were by reading our review.
Don’t want to tempt yourself by having too many bottles lying around the place? Vinebox delivers its vegan wines by the vial, rather than in bottle, so the focus is more on tasting than overindulging.
Have a read of our review and learn everything about Vinebox that you need to know.
Naked Wines’ approach that sees it work closely with winemakers means you get to try creations from independent and upcoming wineries too; even Vegan ones.
This club puts a focus on natural winemaking and is one of the few health-focused wine clubs around. That means there are plenty of vegan options to choose from.
Wine Insiders provides a variety of vegan options that are available to enjoy in your plan and as gifts to your loved ones.
Learn more about Wine Insiders in our review.
WSJ stays up to date with all vegan wine news, so you can expect its club to offer only the best creations there are on the market.
Read our review to get all the answers on WSJ.
NPR, like WSJ, is a dedicated source on all wine news, so the club it runs incorporates all the same expertise and values. The range of vegan wines here come recommended by all the important voices in the industry.
Get our thoughts on NPR in our review.
Laithwaites has a range of vegan and vegetarian wines available; many of its bestsellers are even some of its most affordable options.
See if Laithwaites is for you in our review.
Plonk puts its focus on global, lesser-known biodynamic winemakers and is a great choice for vegan wines as well as supporting smaller wineries.
Learn all about Plonk in our review.
Defining a vegan or vegetarian wine is surprisingly simple. It's a wine made without the use of any animal-derived products during the brewing process.
It all starts in the tanks or barrels, during a process known as 'fining’. During fining, wine is corrected or stabilized, to remove cloudiness and sediment particles, get rid of yeast, and to enhance color and soften tannins. These elements are later filtered out to deliver a clear wine with smoother tannins.
Animal-derived products are often put to work at this stage, to act as processing aids to speed up the fining time. These procession aids are used to help bind the unwanted elements which are later filtered out. Think of it as a magnet attracting all of the undesirable components around it. Then, when it’s thickened around the fining agent, the now larger mass of particles can be removed easily.
Products like egg white (albumin) are often used in red wine production, and gelatin and milk protein (casein) are used in white wine production. Egg white and milk protein may be suitable for vegetarians, but gelatin, which contains animal cartilage, is not an ingredient any vegetarian would want to consume.
Animal products aren’t added to wine as an ingredient per se, and you won't see it listed on the label. Once fining is complete, these 'fining' and processing aids are removed. It's very likely, however, that the wine may now contain tiny particles of these animal-derived products and can not be classified as vegan, or in some cases, vegetarian.
In addition to adding egg white, milk protein, and gelatin, which are most commonly used as binding agents, some other elements could also be added. These are the shells of crustaceans (chitosan) or fish membranes and bladders (isinglass), a form of collagen, or fish oils which are used to give wine clarity.
To completely clarify the use of animal products in the production of wine, you should pay attention to the full process. Start at the soil, consider the absolute beginning of the wine journey, and don't only scrutinize the contents of the bottle. The farming and bottling process should also be reviewed to define a bottle of wine as genuinely vegan.
Fertilizers are often made using animal-derived ingredients like bone meal or fish waste. Animal manure mixed with straw is sometimes used as compost in an attempt to use farming by-products. Authentic vegan wine should use organic methods and only plant-based and natural fertilizers.
When it comes to bottling, beeswax and milk-based glue may be used to seal bottles or applied during the corking process. Using these products would make a wine vegetarian, but not vegan.
Vegan and vegetarian wine processes and techniques involve using plant-based or mineral alternatives instead of animal-derived 'additions'. Additions are used carefully as the products are not added to the wine; they’re just used in the winemaking process. An important note to add is that organic wines aren’t necessarily vegan. The ultimate find would be an organic vegan wine!
A real vegan winemaking process would make use of all-natural or mineral-based ingredients. Expect to find elements like bentonite clay, plant or vegetable-based products like plant casein, or activated charcoal used in the process.
Using time and letting nature take its course is also a good solution. Wine does indeed have the ability to self clarify. In this process, the wine is left over a much more extended period to naturally mature, and no fining takes place. Over time the residual elements drop and sink to the bottom naturally as sediments.
The process is considerably slower and not ideal in a commercial wine production environment. In this instance, wines will be labeled as unfiltered, or un-fined. It's entirely natural and not at all harmful, just a much slower process. Vintage wines are some examples that were allowed to self-stabilize or self-fine without the addition of fining agents.
Searching for the best vegan wine? Look no further. More and more wineries and winemakers are becoming aware of the increased demand for vegan alternatives. Whether you are looking for red vegan wine, vegan white wine, or some renowned vegan red wine brands, you’ll be able to find an option. There are even options for cheap vegan wine and vegan boxed wine.
Here are the top picks from vegan labels across the globe.
Medium-bodied and unoaked, this is 100% Chardonnay. The Petit Chablis label dates back to 1944 and is used for dry whites made from Chardonnay.
This option is medium-bodied with a creamy almond finish. 100% Cortese. Made from vines averaging 35 years old, under the Gavi di Gavi label.
Medium-bodied consisting of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Sauvignon Blanc. This white wine is bone dry and exceptionally well priced as an entry point to this varietal.
An elegant dry red wine from the Bierzo region. It’s made from Mencía grapes varietals, offering a rustic and earthy palate.
A vibrant and full-bodied red blend. 77% Cabernet and 23% Malbec from the Wellington region located in the Western Cape wine lands of South Africa.
A rich Cabernet from Mendoza in the Tupungato sub-region. Made with organic grapes, it offers black fruit notes like blackberry, black currant, cherry, and raisins.
