Pairings | Vegetarian food

Vegan Food and Wine Pairing: How to Pair Wine with Vegan Food

Posted by Monica Shaw on January 8 2024 at 07:14

With media interest in vegan food and vegan-friendly wine at an unprecedented high, you might wonder what sort of wines pair with vegan food best. Is it even OK to drink wine with vegan food? How do I know if my wine is vegan? And how do I craft plant-based wine pairings as good as their carnivorous counterparts? So here's the lowdown.

What makes vegan wine vegan?

Vegans are only slightly more restricted than vegetarians when it comes to wine drinking. The issue is in the fining process which removes any solid particles from the wine. Some wines are fined with animal products like gelatin and isinglass (fish bladder) which rules them out for both vegetarians and vegans. Other producers, particularly of fine wines, use egg whites which would obviously be unacceptable to vegans. Some wines, however, are unfined for extra flavour and texture so those wouldn't cause any problems.

How do I know if wine is vegan?

Fortunately most supermarket own label wines specify whether they’re suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Many online retailers give this information on branded wines too though in the absence of this it makes sense to check with the producer for reassurance. Retailers are also increasingly making it easy to find vegan wines online, for example…

Vegan wine options at Waitrose

Vegan wine options at Sainsbury’s

Vegan wine options at Majestic

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Tags: natural wine biodynamic wine organic wine tofu vegan food vegetarian food vegetarian food:veg & salads

Comments: 7 (Add)

smiley one on January 8 2024 at 19:18

Unprecedented use of 'unprecedented'

The real question is Kombucha : is it plant or animal based? because fungi are in a grey zone. Until Vegans make a clear declaration, we have no idea if Kombucha, Mushrooms, fermented alcohol, or indeed penicillin are acceptable.

Fiona Beckett on January 16 2018 at 13:14

Thanks, Angeline. Hadn't picked that up.

Angeline Bayly on January 16 2018 at 12:24

As ever, on-trend with a hot topic!
I read on decanter.com today that the closures are also important eg beeswax seals and a milk-based glue used in agglomerated corks.

Bob Lindo on January 10 2016 at 15:25

All Camel Valley wines are, and have been, suitable for vegans for 25 years

Tony Milanowski on January 11 2015 at 14:18

Many Vegans would find that your recommendation Biodynamic wines to problematic as they involve animal products in the vineyard.

The use of Prep 501 (manure in cow horn) and sprayed on the vines, which is fundamental to biodynamic certification would be considered by some Vegans as be contrary to their philosophy.

The other compost preps that involve use of animal internal organs would also be unacceptable.

Finally Steiner advocated 'ashing' vineyard pest which involves capturing problematic animals (including birds, rabbits etc), burning them (whole or important parts of them) and then distributing them over a vineyard.

Fiona Beckett on January 3 2014 at 12:31

Great to hear! Hope other producers will say if they do too.

a'Beckett's Vineyard on January 3 2014 at 12:23

Good article, good vegan friendly wine is out there including some from our vineyard here in England.

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