Tagged with 'veganwine'

We’ve all heard the terms used loosely and sometimes interchangeably but what do these certifications on our wine bottles actually mean? Over the last couple decades as people have become more and more conscious about what they consume and spend their money on, everything from bananas to coffee and the clothing we wear have eco-friendly options. The wine industry too has gone a bit more “green”.

Though there is some overlap and labels can add to the confusion, think of each category with these principles:

Organic: Purity of product using non-synthesized ingredients.

Biodynamic: Holistic agricultural health.

Sustainable: Mitigation and reduction of wastefulness.

Vegan: Made without the use of animal biproducts.

Shop eco-conscious wines here.

Deeper Look:

Organic: Wines are made with organically grown grapes without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and chemicals. All additives (fining agents, yeast etc) are organic, no GMOs are allowed, and sulfite addition is limited.

Biodynamic: Like organic wines, biodynamic wines contain no chemicals or additives throughout the winemaking process. In biodynamic wines though, the winemaker must take the entire ecosystem into consideration – vineyards must maintain exceptional soil health and vintners must time their planting schedules with lunar cycles to ensure agricultural health.

Sustainable: Sustainable wines aim to protect the environment, support social responsibility, maintain economic feasibility, and produce high quality wines by preserving biodiversity on vineyards to ensure soil health, implementing recycling measures that conserve water as grapes are growing, and utilizing renewable energy technology like solar.

Vegan: Vegan wines are made without the use of animal derived ingredients like milk protein, egg whites, and fish bladder used as fining agents which remove tiny particles of sediment in a wine. It should be said that when used, these fining agents impart no flavour to the wines at all. With vegan friendly wines, winemakers will either leave the particles to sink naturally or use non-animal fining products.

Let’s be honest, deciphering wine labels can already be a daunting task and with the addition of new buzzwords and badges, you might be left with more questions than answers but we hope these descriptions will help you decide what’s important to you when making your wine selections.

Shop eco-conscious wines here.