Posts tagged ‘Vegan Alcohol’
Searching for a vegan wine maker? We found one.
Carneros, CA – Domaine Carneros, the first and only sparkling winery in the United States with all estate vineyards certified organic (California Certified Organic Farmers, CCOF), recently researched that its longtime environmentally-friendly wine-making practices are vegan-friendly as well. Domaine Carneros’ commitment to sustainability extends beyond the wine making process and to the company’s overall operations. The winery at Domaine Carneros is home to what was, upon installation in 2003, the largest photovoltaic solar collection system on any winery in the world.
“Our first commitment is to produce the best wines. We’ve always taken an active role to preserve the health of the land, and today we are excited that people who are as committed to preserving environmental health as we are can share in our bounty,” explains Domaine Carneros CEO and Founding Winemaker, Eileen Crane. Crane led the winery to eco-friendly standards almost twenty years ago although formal organic certification did not occur until 2008.
Today’s announcement is yet another example of Domaine Carneros’ sensitivity to environmental and ecological issues. Rémuage is the step in the sparkling wine-making process that prepares the wine to be clarified after it has undergone the second fermentation that gives sparkling wine its characteristic bubbles. Byproducts of the second fermentation include spent yeasts and sediment; typically, a fining agent such as egg white or isinglass (an extract of sturgeon bladders) is added to the wine to precipitate movement of these particles down the neck of the inverted bottles so they can be easily released during the next step, dégorgement. Although the fining agent is later removed, trace quantities may remain. At Domaine Carneros, the fining agent used in the rémuage process is Clarifiant S, sodium bentonite, a clay-based product with no animal additives. Clarifiant S is a gentle, vegan-friendly product that produces clear wines that meet the exacting winemaking standards of Domaine Carneros.