Ian’s Vegetarian wine recommendation for the summer sun

For years I have been having dinner parties, and entertained vegetarian/vegan guests. I have been a bad boy though, as I never thought about making sure the wine I offered was vegetarian/vegan. Now, of course it needs to be thought about and it is so much easier to give the choice.

Probably you haven’t considered this yourselves, and you are wondering how a product that is made from a fruit, grapes, cannot be vegetarian/vegan. Very briefly, wines need fining to finally take out all the small impurities to give the clear wine we wish to drink. Without going into too much detail, as it may put you off the lovely drink, they include casein, a milk protein and egg whites, like making a consommé, gelatine which comes from animal waste and isinglass, a fish bladder protein.

All sounds ghastly, but now we all have the opportunity of avoiding these products. Sainsbury stock up to 245 vegan wines, so all you have to do is look for them.

I have mentioned these over the years, when one of my choices was vegan, so you may recognise my suggestions from the past.

San Leo Brut Prosecco

I always recommend this. Fresh fruit flavours, apples and pears. Sadly the full bottle is not on offer at the moment at Waitrose but regularly gets discounted. £11.99, but they also do a magnum at £21.99 and a half bottle at £4.39, This is presently down 20%, so buy 2 bottles!

Aldi Organic Prosecco

Cracking wine in a most attractive bottle. Pears and apples together with acacia, produced with no pesticides or herbicides, hence the organic label, and vegan. At £7.99, this is the one to go for.

Bouchard Ainẻ et Fils Pinot Noir

Ripe fruits dominated by blackcurrants and black cherry. A delicate light red wine which is excellent in summer months. Good wine maker. I used to live in a flat above their offices in London, 40 years ago, so I am biased, but still good stuff and great value at £7.00

Yalumba Y series Viognier

South Australia

Getting to really love Viogniers, and this is lovely example. Honeysuckle flavours with grapefruit and stone fruit. Again, from Sainsburys Vegan range and at £8.00 a bottle, it won’t break the bank.

Hope the weather holds to slurp some of these wines in the sunshine.

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