Fishy Wine? New Law Good News for Strict Vegans

(photo illustration by Cinders McLeod / The Globe and Mail)

According to a recent story in The Globe and Mail, as part of a new Health Canada food and beverage regulation, wine producers will be required to declare if their wines have been processed using fish, egg, milk products, or any other common allergens by summer 2012.  Gelatin, sturgeon bladders, egg whites and milk proteins have long been used by high-end producers as clarifying agents in lieu of filtration because the microscopic pores in filter barriers can strip fine wines of the particles that contribute to flavour and longevity.

Because these by-products are (generally) not actual ingredients in the wine, vintners have not had to declare them in the past, so the majority of winos have been unaware that animals have contributed to their glass of Cabernet.

Seeing animal products on the labels of popular wines will likely have many consumers thinking twice about which brand they are going to purchase, even if they are not vegan.  After all, who likes the idea of wine with notes of dead cow, hints of egg white and lingering fish on the nose?

The new labeling system will also help all of us who want to keep our decisions, and our consciences, clear of actions that lead to exploitation of our little animal friends.

Hopefully, ‘No Animals Were Harmed in the Making of This Wine’ will become the hot new tag on wine labels starting next summer.

In the meantime, the most effective way to find out if your wine has been processed with animal products is to contact the winery. If you’d like more info on the use of animals in the alcohol process, check out this guide to vegan alcohol and Barnivore.com.

In vegan vino veritas.

~The Vegan Project

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