vegetarian wines

[maryanne]

Any one know of any vegetarian wines?

[Drew]

Wine by definition is fermented grapes only but I have heard of people making dandelion "wine" and other fermented beverages from vegetables. I know of no commercial "non grape wines" other than mead.

Drew

[This message has been edited by Drew (edited 02-27-2002).]

[maryanne]

Dear Drew,
Thanks for your reply.According to the vegetarian society of UK." With wine it is in the fining process that animal ingredients appear.Finings can be inegg albumin,casien from milk,chitin or ox blood" I have a veggie friend who is interested along with myself for a pure vegetarian wine. Love, Mary

[Kcwhippet]

First off, I don't believe you'll find any commercial wines anymore that have been fined with chitin or ox blood. So you've reduced the equation to egg whites and casein. Egg whites have been used for hundreds of years to fine the red wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, and I don't recall hearing of any vegetarians who've complained or refused to drink those wines. Casein's general use is to remove phenolics from white and blush wines. When these materials are used, their purpose is to attract and bind with undesireable materials in the wine, after which the entire glob settles to the bottom of the barrel. The wine is then racked out of the barrel and the fining agents and the materials they've bound are left behind. Another fining agent used is bentonite, which is a clay like material, and it's used by almost all commercial wineries now for white and blush wine fining, so there goes the casein. Egg whites are then about the only thing you have to worry about, and they're used in virtually all high quality red wines. As I said before, though, all that material drops to the bottom of the barrels and is left behind. Of course, you could look in your local shop for wines that say "Unfiltered, Unfined" on the label. There are quite a few of them.

[chittychattykathy]

Your friend is Vegan then?

[maryanne]

Thank You for all your help, I e-maied this page to a friend in England.
It's nice that people care to take thetime to help someone, I appreciate this
Love,Mary
P.S yes we are vegans

[mrdutton]

What is a vegan? And how is that different from a vegetarian? Thanks!

[Kcwhippet]

Interesting. I had read that true vegans don't use telephones, books, computers, automobiles, bicycles or airplanes because they all contain some animal products in their manufacture or use. Does that mean there are different degrees of vegans? What no one has ever really explained to me is how vegans stay alive because I understood that humans, though they are omnivores, need some form of animal protein in their diet in order for their bodies to function efficiently.

[dananne]

I think that, like most labels, you'll find variation within. Vegetarian is an umbrella term that can describe many people who limit intake of animal products. There are several types, from ovo-vegetarians (who eat eggs, but not other animal products) to lacto-vegetarians (who eat dairy), to others, as well as combinations of the above. Vegans typically do not eat any animal products, and I do know some who shun other non-food products made from animal products. I consider myself a vegan, and have given up things like my former favorite candy, gummy bears, because of the gelatin. However, I still consume wine [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] and am obviously using my computer. Being a vegan, I have to monitor intake of certain things because of my diet, such as B complex vitamins, iron, calcium, and protein. However, I can get what I need from things like legumes, vextured vegetable proteins, tofu, broccoli, fortified soy milk, etc. I also take a good multi vitamin. I'm an active competitive soccer player, and I've had no adverse health issues and my general energy level has remained high. I've been on the diet for over 4 years, but am learning all the time. Others will certainly have more info, but thought I'd pass along a bit myself.

[Kcwhippet]

Very nicely defined. Clear, concise and informative. I've learned something. Thank you.

[maryanne]

I have been a vegetarian for 26 years and a vegan for 5 years. I am still alive and very healthy. I take an herbal multivitamin and eat vegetables,fruit and some grains.I prefer to eat this way because of the additives,hormones,and antibiotics put into our food. I also believe when an animals body is killed for food, the trauma of it's death is passed on to us in it's food. I have low cholesterol no heart disease,no diabiates, cancer, arthritis etc, etc, I am 67 years old and extremely active.Thank you for the information about airplanes.

[Thomas]

maryanne, I agree that the antibiotics used in meat production is a catastrophic event. But I am a healthy human being, and I am not a vegan. I simply seek out foods that are produced in a clean, reasonable manner, and so can anyone else who wants to be informed. It is inaccurate to claim that eating only vegetable or plant life creates a healthy life that is unattainable by those who eat animal protein.

I hope you research how the vitamin supplements you ingest are produced--some include fillers which can be produced from gelatin, et al.

As for wine, I suppose the yeast that ferments the sugar into alcohol could be considered a form of animal--they certainly aren't vegetables.

[lizardbrains]

From what I learned in a health class once... some vegetarians/vegans won't even eat a nut/fruit unless it has FALLEN off the tree. They believe that PICKING it is un-natural.

[mrdutton]

I've been told that we need to maintain a certain level of B12 in our bodies. I've also been told that this vitamin only comes from animal products.

Is this true?

How would a vegan cope with this dilema?

[Thomas]

I suppose the responses on this board chased the original poster away, but Mr D you bring up a good point. I am often shocked by how vegans look--ashy skin, sunken eyes, dried out hair, and a pile of bones. I am convinced many of them are undernourished.

[winoweenie]

Think I may have dated her in college.WW

[winedope]

what can you expect from folks who won't eat chocolate or jelly beans??? Seriously, I know a number of veggies and vegans. The vegans DO generally look pasty and ill. I understand the idea of not wanting to eat meats, but there needs to be a healthful replacement for its nutritional contributions. Vegans seem to be so focused on cutting things out of their diet that they don't look at things to replace them with. WD

[Drew]

....and here's a picture of WW with his date.

http://www.awn.com/awnstore/tooniversal/gallery/images2/dancingbeach.gif

Drew [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]

[winoweenie]

Memories, Ah Yes, Memories! WW

[Thomas]

yeah, winedope, the attitude of some vegans is close to the attitude of bulemics.

ww, I talked with some of your college dates; they say you wernt no bargain...