Vegan Wines Are Also Egg and Dairy Allergy Friendly
Photo by Kris Krüg’
Those recently diagnosed as having an allergy to eggs and dairy might want to think twice about having a glass of your favorite wine without finding more about how it was processed. Wine manufactures use animal biproducts like (albumin ) egg whites and (casein) from milk frequently to “fine” or clarify wine of its cloudiness, bad taste or unsatisfactory particles.
Allergic Girl has a good rundown of her discovery on Worry Free Dinners, but there is also some great information on many vegan and organic websites about how many wines today use fining materials that are derived from animals. Though these animal products are filtered out of wine before packaging, most Vegans and allergic individuals consider the wine unsuitable and instead look for alternatives. In vegan wines, carbon, bentonite clay, limestone, plant casein, silica gel and kaolin clay is used to fine the wine instead of animal byproducts.
Now that you know, how do you find wines you’re not allergic to? Unfortunately for allergic individuals who may be allergic to dairy but not egg (or vice versa), this information can be difficult to find. The FDA nutrition guidelines that apply to most food products don’t always apply to wine bottles. Right now, many wine makers are undergoing scrutiny from consumers that not enough information is being displayed on the wine bottle including how the product was made and what the product might contain. Fortunately, the internet is just full of wonderful researchers who have spent some time finding out which products contain milk and egg products. Vegan wines should be safe for most allergic individuals, but on some occasions wine has been fined with either albumin or casein but not both. Wines of this nature are harder to find and sometimes it takes a little investigative reporting to unearth how a wine was made.
There are a few sites that have done some research and determined which wine cellars are and aren’t vegan & allergy friendly including Tastebetter and Vegan Wine Guide. There are also several places online where you can order vegan wine directly to your home. Whole foods and Trader Joes are also large chains that carry a few organic and vegan wines. However, if you prefer the greener route, contact a few of your local wineries or wine cellars to see if they sell Vegan wine or ask how exactly they fine their wine. Sometimes their websites also have information of this nature in the FAQ section.
An affordable Vegan favorite that is cheap and tasty is Yellowtail. Their red wines (which are all Vegan friendly) can be found at most US wine retailers. It’s also gluten and soy –free too. If you’re allergic, it’s definitely something to raise your glass to.