Do you know the differences between vegan and ecological wines?

In spain it is calculated that 1.5% of the population is vegetarian, and within these, between 30 and 40% are vegans. A vegan person is a strict vegetarian, that is, they do not consume anything that comes from animals, including eggs, dairy products, honeys, gelatin, etc., while a vegetarian can limit himself to not consuming meat or fish, but he can consume, to a greater or lesser extent, derived products such as milk, yogurt …

In the process of creating a wine, one of the steps that is carried out (although not always), is clarification. Through this clarification, the wine is cleaned and possible impurities that may cloud it before being bottled are removed. This clarification is normally carried out with products such as egg (albumin), casein (protein derived from milk), gelatin (obtained from cartilage from animals), or fish ichthyol (obtained from the swim bladder of fish, with which that if we do not take care of this process, these wines would not be suitable for consumption by vegan people.

What is the alternative to obtain vegan wines?

Obviously, the alternative is to obtain a clarification process that can be carried out without components of animal origin. Vegan wines are made with clarifiers of plant origin or that do not directly carry out this process. For example, proteins extracted from foods such as wheat, potatoes or, as is the case of the range of organic and vegan wines that we make at Bodegas Luzón, with peas. Other substances to obtain a clarification process without the use of elements from animals are carrageenans, which are extracted from seaweed and used in food as stabilizers. Although, without a doubt, the clarifier most used for vegan wines is bentonite, a kind of clay powder normally used in the production of white wines, and which serves to remove impurities from them.

This process is certified by independent organizations. In spain we can find the european v-label certificate, which is the body that certifies our wines, although there are also associations such as the vegan society, more dedicated to the anglo-saxon world.

What is certified by these stamps is that neither animal parts nor derivatives thereof have been used during the winemaking process, and for vegans, who recognize the logos of these certificates, finding them in a bottle is a synonymous with trust.

How are organic wines certified?

For starters, most vegan wines come from organic grapes (although not always the opposite). This means that they are extracted from vines that have not been treated with artificial chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Compliance with the process is marked by very clear requirements that are applied both in the production and in the land where the vine is grown, in the grapes and in the conservation of wines. Some of these requirements are:

• The type of fertilizer to be used must be natural organic, of vegetable origin (marc or crushed) and of animal origin (manure or compost).
• The wines must be made from organic raw material.
• There must be a control over the addition of sulphites, something that as a general rule is usually added in conventional vinification for better wine preservation (it inhibits bacteria and molds and the oxidation of the wine).
• We must not apply any type of mineral fertilizer. And the burning of stubble is prohibited so that the microbial flora is maintained.

In addition, in order to achieve a higher concentration of antioxidant substances, which is one of the most beneficial components of wine for health, the best time of ripening of the grape is chosen, which is usually at late dates.

The ecological and vegan wines of Bodegas Luzón

At Bodegas Luzón we understand the needs of each and everyone, especially if it is a matter of enjoying a good glass of wine, which is why for a few years we have been making a complete range of wines adapted to organic and vegan cultivation that you can discover in this link, certified by the seal es-eco-024-mu and the seal of the council of agriculture of the region of murcia that accredits it. In the same way, they are all suitable for vegan consumption, as certified by the v-label seal that we have mentioned before. Additionally, for years Bodegas Luzón has been accredited by the wfcp (wineries for climate protection) seal, a demanding certificate that currently only has 23 wineries in spain, which certifies that the methods used by Bodegas Luzón meet the criteria of environmental sustainability.

So, if you are vegan or vegetarian and you love our wines, take it easy, we comply with all the requirements the necessary certificates, so that you trust our family.