Vegan and Gluten Free Wine & Hard Cider… why?
At RAW we strive to keep wines as simple as can be…
There are to many additives in foods today, you don’t need them in your wine too…
RAW Wines are Vegan and Gluten Free: No Animal or Gluten-Based Fining Agents Used
We formulate all of our wines without using any animal byproducts in the winemaking process.
What are Fining Agents?
Since ancient times, fining agents have been added to a barrel or tank of wine to help clarify and stabilize the wine. They drift through the wine, pick up solid matter, and eventually sink to the bottom of the container. Common fining agents include hydrolyzed wheat gluten isolate, pea protein isolate, casein (milk protein), gelatin, egg whites, fish glue, and bentonite clay. Once the fining agent settles at the bottom, the clarified wine is siphoned off the top, leaving behind the residue, which is discarded. No trace of these products is found in the bottled wine. At RAW we occasionally use bentonite and only when its needed, a naturally-occurring earth clay, as the fining agent for our white wines. (Our red wines are not filtered or fined).
Allergy Concerns
We make no health claims regarding our wines, however, bentonite clay fining should pose no problem for people with wheat or gluten allergies, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, or for people who have chosen vegan lifestyles.