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18 | OHCC LIVING | JUNE 2022 | Wine is made from grapes, but that does not necessarily make it vegetarian or vegan. Some winemaking methods make surprising use of animal-derived products, which is why an increasing number of producers state whether the wine is vegan or vegetarian on the label. Traditionally, winemaking is a slow process. Pressed grape juice needs to settle before fermentation. As the wine matures, it clarifies the liquid as residual solids begin to sink to the bottom. Wine made in this way is often bottled as "unfiltered and unfined." To speed up the process, science has perfected methods of the clarifying process known as fining. During fining, animal products are often used as processing aids. They are added to wine in order to bind and remove unwanted substances, all of which are then filtered out. This is the reason why fining agents are not labeled as ingredients on the final bottle of wine. Vegetarian, but not vegan, fining materials such as egg whites will bind with the tannins and be removed from the wine. By adding natural or powdered egg whites to the barrels, stirring and allowing them to sink to the bottom, the harshest tannins are removed. The fining process materials that are neither vegetarian nor vegan are: Casein - A protein found in milk. Gelatin - A protein derived from animal hides and bones Isinglass - Derived from the swim bladders of sturgeon and other fish, Chitosan - A carbohydrate, chitosan is derived from the shells of crustaceans. The two vegetarian and vegan fining materials are PVPP and Bentonite. Poly-vinyl-poly-pyrrolidone (PVPP) is a man-made plastic substance which absorbs excess phenols and colors. Bentonite is purified clay and has a negative charge. It binds protein colloids in white and rosé wines. Some vegans go beyond the winemaking process and also look to see if animal products were used in farming. They object to animal-derived fertilizers like bone meal (from dead livestock) or fish emulsion (from fish waste) in favor of plant-based composts. To be sure, look at the back label or ask your merchant. More wine producers are paying attention to this as consumers demand transparency. This information comes from a current Wine Enthusiast newsletter. OH Wine Tasting Club is open to all residents of OHCC for a $12 annual membership fee. Wine Tasting Club