Wine is made from grapes, but many wines aren’t vegan because of what happens after fermentation, especially during a step called “fining” where animal- derived products are often used to clarify the wine.

What Makes Wine Not Vegan?

Even though wine starts as fermented grape juice, it often stops being vegan once winemakers try to make it look crystal clear and shelf‑ready.

The Key Culprit: Fining Agents

After fermentation, young wine is usually cloudy with naturally occurring particles like proteins, tannins and tartrates floating around. Supermarkets and many consumers prefer clear wine, so producers use “fining agents” to bind to those particles and pull them out of the liquid.

Traditionally, a lot of these fining agents come from animals:

  • Gelatin from animal skins and bones.
  • Egg whites (often used in red wines, especially in Old World regions like Bordeaux).
  • Casein, a milk‑derived protein used to soften harsh flavors or clarify whites.
  • Isinglass, a form of collagen from fish swim bladders.

Even though most of these substances are filtered back out and don’t remain in any meaningful quantity in the bottle, the wine has been processed with animal products, which makes it non‑vegan by common definitions used in food law and vegan communities.

Think of it like using beef broth to cook vegetables and then straining the liquid away: the final dish still wouldn’t be considered vegan, because animal products were part of the process.

When Is Wine Vegan?

The good news: it’s absolutely possible to make vegan wine, and it’s getting easier to find. Many winemakers now skip animal products and instead use plant‑based or mineral fining agents , such as:

  • Bentonite clay (a type of natural clay that binds proteins).
  • Activated charcoal.
  • Diatomaceous earth and other mineral filters.

Some producers avoid fining altogether and just let the wine settle naturally over time, often labeling the bottle as “unfined” or “unfiltered.” These wines may look slightly hazy, but they can be fully vegan since no animal agents are used.

Common label clues that often (not always) point toward vegan‑friendly wine include:

  • “Unfined” or “Unfiltered.”
  • “Natural,” “low‑intervention,” or similar terms popular in the natural wine scene (these producers often avoid animal fining, though it’s still good to verify).
  • An explicit “Vegan” or “Vegan-friendly” mark, which some brands now highlight for marketing.

However, wine labeling laws in many regions don’t require producers to list fining agents, so a wine can contain animal‑derived clarifiers without them ever appearing on the ingredient list. This is one reason vegans often rely on apps or brand lists, or contact wineries directly, to confirm.

Mini FAQ: Quick Scoop Style

1. If the animal stuff is filtered out, why isn’t it still vegan?

From a vegan ethics and regulatory standpoint, it’s not just about what’s left in the product, but whether animals were used or exploited anywhere in the process. Because gelatin, casein, egg whites and isinglass are all derived from animals, using them—even temporarily—means the wine isn’t vegan.

2. Is natural wine always vegan?

Many “natural” winemakers avoid both animal and synthetic additives and let the wine clarify over time on its own. However, “natural” is not a tightly regulated term, so it’s still smart to check, though some shops and importers specialize exclusively in vegan bottles.

3. Are all unfined wines vegan?

If a wine is genuinely unfined (no fining agents used at all), then no animal products were involved in clarification, so it would typically be vegan. The catch is that some producers may still filter or process in other ways, so checking with the brand or a reliable vegan guide is still helpful.

4. Why is this a trending topic now?

With veganism and flexitarian diets growing fast in the 2020s, more drinkers are discovering “hidden” animal products in everyday items like wine and beer. At the same time, the natural and low‑intervention wine movements have pushed transparency and minimal additives, which dovetails with vegan interests and has sparked more online discussion, guides, and dedicated vegan wine sections in shops.

Quick HTML Table: Common Fining Agents

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Fining agent</th>
      <th>Source</th>
      <th>Vegan?</th>
      <th>Typical use</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Gelatin</td>
      <td>Animal skins/bones</td>
      <td>No</td>
      <td>Clarify, remove haze in reds and whites[web:1][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Egg whites (albumen)</td>
      <td>Chicken eggs</td>
      <td>No</td>
      <td>Soften tannins, clarify red wines[web:1][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Casein</td>
      <td>Dairy milk protein</td>
      <td>No</td>
      <td>Reduce browning, clarify whites[web:1][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Isinglass</td>
      <td>Fish swim bladders</td>
      <td>No</td>
      <td>Clarify especially white wines[web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Bentonite</td>
      <td>Clay (mineral)</td>
      <td>Yes</td>
      <td>Remove proteins, stabilize wine[web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Activated charcoal</td>
      <td>Carbon-based (non-animal)</td>
      <td>Yes</td>
      <td>Remove off-odors and colors[web:1]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Diatomaceous earth</td>
      <td>Fossilized algae (silica)</td>
      <td>Yes</td>
      <td>Fine filtration and clarification[web:1]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Tiny Story: A Vegan’s First Wine Surprise

Picture someone who’s just gone vegan and is proudly scanning food labels, carefully avoiding milk, eggs, and gelatin. They pick up a bottle of red, think, “It’s just grapes, I’m safe,” and only months later discover that the winery used egg whites and fish‑based isinglass to “polish” the wine. That emotional jolt—finding animal products where you least expect them—is exactly why the question “what makes wine not vegan” keeps popping up in forums, social feeds, and wine blogs today.

TL;DR: Wine stops being vegan when animal‑derived fining agents like gelatin, egg whites, casein, or isinglass are used to clarify it—even if they’re later filtered out. Vegan wines either skip fining, use plant/mineral agents like bentonite clay, or clearly label themselves as vegan‑friendly.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.