Thanks to the Fresh Choice Nelson wine expert, Neil Hodgson for this week’s blog. He’s focusing on vegan wines that you can find at Fresh Choice Nelson
There has been a wonderful increase in environmental awareness. Awareness of where the things we consume come from. An increase in the number of people looking for healthy food options, including organic produce. And an increase in the number of people choosing a vegan lifestyle.
As a very basic description, organic producers use growing and farming techniques that avoid the use of man-made products like herbicides and insecticides. They rely on naturally occurring products to manage pests and disease. Some organic producers go to the effort and expense of being organic or bio-dynamic certified producers. While others embrace organic production without going through the certification and audit process.
Only certified producers can use the term Bio-Gro certified on their products.
Those who produce vegan wines can use the Vegetarian Society Approved Vegan product, if they are certified, again some producers choose to embrace vegan-friendly production without being certified producers.
Are all organic products vegan? Obviously not! We can buy organic beef, milk, chicken and many other similar products. But are all vegan products organic? Once again, no. Just because a cabbage is vegan-friendly, it might not be produced organically.
But, I hear you ask… ‘Wines are made from grapes, right? So, how can they not be vegan?’ Fining agents are often added to wines to improve their colour, flavour, texture, clarity and stability. A large number of these products, such as gelatin, milk, egg white and fish products are animal based. So, while the juice might be from grapes, it is the winemaking process that exposes the wine to a non-vegan-friendly component, even if these are in minute proportions.
At Fresh Choice Nelson, the Grocer and his wine buyer have taken a lot of time to read the fine print on the labels and in product descriptions to identify vegan wines, without animal-based processing products, and label them as such on the shelves. There is a huge range to choose from including wines from Nelson region producers Neudorf Vineyards, Blackenbrook Wines, Waimea Estates, Seifried Estates, Brightwater Vineyards and Greenhough Wines. You’ll also find others from around New Zealand and overseas.
If you have chosen a plant-based diet, then pop down to Fresh Choice Nelson to discover some vegan wines that will suit your diet perfectly.
