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WINE PRODUCTION –
PITFALLS FOR VEGETARIANS

Another Glass of Wine Please!

Wine accounts for over 9% of the total alcohol consumption in Ireland, with over 7 litres consumed per head each year (1997 figures). In the industry this is valued at lR220m. A similar trend has been found over the last two decades in the UK with wine consumption more than doubled. In 1970, one glass of wine was consumed for every 7.7 pints of beer, while these days, one glass of wine is consumed for every 1.7 pints of beer consumed. In France there has been a 50% drop in wine consumption since 1971 but this still leaves a substantial 60 litres consumed per person each year.

It's Good For You Too!

The first recorded evidence of winemaking goes all the way back to 3000 BC in Egypt but there is archaeological evidence of winemaking dating from around 5000 BC. Hippocrates (about 2,500 years ago) recommended that his patients drink wine to boost their health and Pliny the elder (approx. 2,000 years ago) said that "wine in itself is a remedy, it nourishes the blood of man, it delights the stomach and soothes care and affliction”.

Modern day science backs this positive hypothesis with various studies giving praise to the effects of moderate alcohol consumption. Researchers at Howard University, Washington DC, report that if people drink a moderate quantity of wine regularly, they are less likely to develop poor eyesight caused by deterioration of the retina in old age. The alcohol content and to a greater extent, the flavenoids in wine (biochemicals in wine formed by species of fungi which grow naturally on the skin of grapes) reduce the stickiness of platelets in the blood and reduce fibrinogen levels (two elements in the clotting process of blood). Not all wines are equally - at this - red wines produced from grapes which are grown in warm, moist climates (for example - those from the Bordeaux, Burgundy and Cotes du Rhone regions) are considered to be best. What's more, wine is reported to be a rather successful aphrodisiac!

Organic Wine?

A product is only organic if no synthetic chemical fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides are used during the growing period and if no chemical additives are used during processing. In the case of wine making, it is reported than up to 40kg of synthetic chemicals can be used per hectare over the space of a year in highly intensive growing areas.

The understanding amongst some is that if a wine has been produced under organic conditions, then it automatically implies that it can be considered vegetarian or vegan also. This may often be the case, but there is no automatic link between the two, and because of the lack of clear labelling on the bottles, those that are suitable for consumption by vegetarians or vegans can pass veggie consumers by. Of the top five sellers in Britain for example (which includes the Jacob's Creek range and Le Piat D'Or), only one seems to have organic wine included in their range (the Emst and Julio Gallo range). None of them have vegetarian wines in their ranges.

Wine Production

Once harvested, grapes are pressed to separate the juice from the skins, pips and stalks. Fermentation is performed in stainless steel vats where temperature control and yeast activity is carefully controlled. The aim of this process is to permit the conversion of sugars into alcohol. At a number of stages both before and after the fermentation stage, the liquid is fined (or cleared/filtered) using a variety of different fining agents. These are substances which remove unwanted solid residues of wine fermentation such as yeast cells and grape particles and are used to improve wine quality and stability and to make the wine look clear and unclouded. If these are left in the liquid, their degradation or break down would cause the wine to spoil. The wine is then matured in vats.

Bentonite is a form of clay and is a cheaper clarification agent than isinglass or eggs. As a result, this clay tends to be used more regularly for the fining of cheaper wines. Bentonite is usually used as a preliminary fining agent. Its negative charge binds to the positively charged waste particles and these particles then settle to the bottom of the vats.

Other Hidden Animal Products:

As well as the fining issue, wine making can have other hidden animal by-products - sometimes bottle corks are soaked in glycerine to aid in their insertion into bottles. Glycerine addition can occur occasionally as it is reported to remove harshness" of new wine. There are also various colourants and anti-foaming agents which can be used and there is the ever present shadow of animal testing.

Fortified Wines

Sherry, port, champagne and brandy all come under the general title of fortified wines. Champagne and sherry can be looked upon as products which have very similar processing techniques to standard wines. The Croft sherry range is one which is reported to be suitable for veggi/vegan consumption. All Portuguese ports are fined with gelatine - this is in accordance with Portuguese law. Others are not - for example, Crofts vintage port is suitable for vegetarian and vegan consumption. Brandy has no animal products used in its production.

Consumer Demands

It is most likely that there are a substantial number of vegetarian and vegan wines on the market at this present time. For example, it is reported that New World wines (from America, Australia, New Zealand etc.) are more likely to be free of any animal ingredients. Some of the more well known producers which have vegetarian and organic wines available include some of the Penfolds Clare Valley range, Fetzer and Mondavi. wines approved by the UK Vegetarian Society include:

• Domaine de Soleil French wines (two red, two white) stocked by Tesco.
• Hardy’s - Barossa Valley Shiraz 1993 or Chardonnay 1994.
• Muscadet Sevre et Maine 1998, Cafe Vin Rouge, Cafe Vin Blanc - stocked by Marks and Spencer.

The biggest disadvantage amongst retailers and consumers is the lack of knowledge of ingredients and additives used during the wine making process. As people become more aware of this issue (not only in wine making but in other food and drink manufacturing areas), and start to ask specifically for information and suitable products, then eventually producers and retailer will have to take this on board when producing/buying stock, organising packing and labelling bottles and in promotion of the products.

Maria Connolly

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