Vegan Wine

What is Vegan Wine?

Understanding Vegan Wine and How It’s Made

You’d think all wine would be vegan, right? It’s just grapes and yeast, how could it not be?

Turns out, it’s not quite that simple.

Wine starts out as grape juice and whether you’re using wild or cultured yeast, that fermentation process is totally vegan-friendly. But it’s what happens next that might surprise you.

Why Isn’t All Wine Vegan? Common Fining Agents in Wine Production

When wine is first made, it can be a bit cloudy, or have sediment floating around. It’s natural, but not exactly what most of us expect when we pour a glass. That’s where a process called fining comes in.

Fining helps clarify the wine, removing the tiny particles that make it look hazy. Winemakers add fining agents, which act like magnets, binding to those particles so they can be filtered out.

The catch? A lot of traditional fining agents come from animal products, such as:

• Casein (a milk protein)
• Egg whites
• Gelatin (from animal collagen)
• Isinglass (a protein derived from fish bladders)

Even though these agents are filtered out before bottling, their use means the wine isn’t considered vegan.

Vegan-Friendly Wines: What Are The Alternatives?

If you’re vegan, or just prefer to avoid animal products, you’ll be glad to know there are plenty of vegan friendly wines out there. Many winemakers are switching to earth based alternatives like:

• Bentonite clay
• Limestone
• Silica gel

At Upper Reach, we use isinglass in some of our wines, it’s a very effective and gentle fining agent, but we also make several wines that are completely unfined and 100% vegan. Our Reserve Chardonnay and Reserve Shiraz are two great examples, no animal products used, just pure, expressive wine.

How to Identify Vegan Wine: Reading Wine Labels and Asking Questions

Look out for labels that mention “may contain traces of egg or fish products.” That usually means those animal-based agents were used in the winemaking process.

At the cellar door, we’re always happy to chat through which of our wines are vegan and which aren’t,  no awkwardness, no judgement, just honest info so you can enjoy your wine your way. Or if you'd like a deeper understanding, you can take a Winery Tour where you will get an indepth look at the winemaking process.  

Can Vegan Wine Be Aged? Cellaring Vegan Wines

Absolutely. Vegan wine can age just as gracefully as any traditionally fined wine. Structure, tannin and acid are what really matter for cellaring, not whether a fining agent was used. In fact, some of our museum release wines at Upper Reach are vegan, and they’ve developed beautifully over the years.

Planning a Swan Valley Wine Day: Discover Vegan Wine in Swan Valley

If you're heading out for a day of wine tasting in the Swan Valley, you’ve got a lot to look forward to, stunning scenery, fantastic food, and a mix of boutique and family-run wineries in Swan Valley worth discovering.

We’d love to welcome you to Upper Reach, a family-owned winery in the Swan Valley, just 30 minutes from the city. We’re one of the best wineries Swan Valley has to offer for visitors looking for character, conversation, and a really good glass of wine.

We’re easy to find on any Swan Valley wineries map, and we’re a popular stop on many Swan Valley wine tours, including those coming from Perth. Whether you’re exploring with a group, marking a special occasion, or just looking for wineries near me on Google, we’re here and ready to pour