PETA recently released a list of the many non-vegan ingredients that you may be sipping on in dis-illusion. We typically assume that wine is simply crushed, fermented grapes, however there is much more that goes into that bottle than the fruit of loom.
According to PETA, ingredients such as blood and bone marrow, casein (milk protein), chitin (fiber from crustacean shells), egg albumen (derived from egg whites), fish oil, gelatin (protein from boiling animal parts), and isinglass (gelatin from fish bladder membranes) are all used as fining agents during the filtering process. Now the problem lies in the fact that, in most cases, small percentages of these fining agents are also absorbed into the final product.
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, and know we may have made your nightly glass of pinot gregio seem a little unappetizing. On the bright side, for those of you leading a vegan lifestyle, we do have some natural, trustworthy vegan wines to share via barnivore.com. Check it out!