Is I Heart Prosecco Vegan?

Is I heart prosecco vegan?

By Dr Anny Manrich (PhD)

Page last updated: 02/03/2023 | Next review date: 02/03/2025

Author bio

Dr Anny March PhD is a food Engineer with expertise in Food Technology, Natural Polymers, Edible Films, Enzymes, and Nanotechnology. Dr Anny Manrich’s Highlights: Research and Technology at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation PhD in Chemical Engineering with a focus on Biochemistry at the Federal University of…

Dr Anny Manrich (PhD)

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In this brief guide, we will answer the query, “Is I heart prosecco vegan?” and will discuss what is fining agent is and why they are needed?

No, I heart prosecco is not vegan. No wine can be guaranteed to be acceptable for vegans or vegetarians unless it has been authorized by the Vegetarian Society. As fining involves the use of non-vegan ingredients, Prosecco cannot guarantee that I heart wines are appropriate for vegetarian or vegan consumption. Some residues of fining chemicals may persist after the finished product has been filtered and bottled.

Prosecco breweries

If you’re looking for an Italian DOC (Denominazione d’Origine Controllata, or Controlled Denomination of Origin) or DOCG (Denominazione d’Origine Controllata e Garantita, or Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin) white wine, you’ll find it in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, and it’s called Prosecco after the hamlet of Prosecco. This sparkling wine is manufactured from the Glera grape (renamed Prosecco in the European Union in 2009), although designation regulations allow up to 15% of other authorized varietals to be used in the blend. A still wine (Tranquillo) is also authorized in the production of Prosecco, which is nearly typically created in a sparkling or semi-sparkling style (spumante and frizzante). Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco and Asolo Prosecco are two tiny DOCG sections under the bigger appellation. If you’re looking for Prosecco Superiore DOCG, you’ll only find it in these places (1).

In recognition of the region’s significance in the production of Prosecco, the Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. Spumante rosé, a Prosecco rosé recognized by the DOC, will be allowed beginning in 2020 if the wine contains 10–15 percent Glera and Pinot Noir.

DOCG production in 2019 was estimated at 92 million bottles, with a sales value of nearly half a billion euros. Top destinations for DOCG exports by value are the UK (€62.8 million), Germany (€39.5 million), Switzerland (€25.1 million) and the USA (€5.7 million). These top four importing countries account for almost 71% of the total value of DOCG exports. Of particular interest is the explosive growth in the UK market (+83% in 2018–19 by value) (1).

Reasons why Prosecco may not be vegan.

The grapes used to make sparkling wines like prosecco, cava, and champagne are the same ones used to make wine, correct? So, why wouldn’t they choose to live a vegan lifestyle?

Traditionally, the first fermentation of wine is done with natural yeast, but some contemporary wines might employ a variety of surprise alternative components, starting with the natural constituents of grape juice.

· Sugar

· Water

· Yeast

· Sulfur dioxide

· Synthetic flavorings

· Concentrated grape juice

· Calcium carbonate

· Potassium (sorbate and/or metabisulphite)

According to the latest research, animal ingredients may be hiding in our wonderful sparkling alcoholic alternatives. However, don’t throw away your Champagne flutes just yet; vegan proseccos are readily available in many grocery stores provided you know where to look.

Is Prosecco tainted by the presence of fish?

Unfortunately, this is a possibility. It’s possible the producer employed an isinglass fining agent, which is made from a fish’s bladder, for certain alcoholic drinks that undergo a clarification process known as fining. Although bentonite is mainly used on white wines, whereas in red wines, the aim of fining is softening, that is the removal of some of the tannins and polyphenols to improve the astringency of the product, and it is performed by applying fining agents other than bentonite (gelatine, albumin, isinglass, skim milk, casein and potassium caseinate) (2).

What is fining?

Fining is defined as the process of addition of substances that induce the precipitation of particles in suspension by promoting their sedimentation (2). The main reasons to perform wine fining treatments are to carry out wine clarification, stabilization and to remove phenolic compounds imparting unwanted sensory characteristics on the wine (4). Fining is a step in the clarification process that is required for certain alcoholic drinks. After the second fermentation, the Charmat-Martinotti process is used. A fining agent is used to help bind the liquid, however, some businesses utilize fining agents that are derived from animal products, making them inedible to vegans and vegetarians alike.

Is it possible to get a fine agent that is vegan-friendly?

Naturally, there are alternatives to animal-derived fining agents, such as bentonite clay or activated charcoal. So, before sipping, double-check the prosecco.

Why fining agents used in wines?

The presence of large quantities of phenolic compounds enhances susceptibility to oxidation, leading to a decrease of the wine’s visual and sensory qualities. This is due primarily to the oxidation of phenolic compounds including catechins, proanthocyanidins and hydroxycinnamic acids present in the wine. The removal of polyphenols is necessary to stabilize white wines and reduce the potential for browning. Proteins have been used in white wine as fining agents for a long time. A wide range of protein fining agents are used, including: gelatine, casein, potassium caseinate, egg albumin or isinglass and, more recently, some proteins of vegetable origin (3).

To make our wine or sparkling wine, in this example prosecco, free of particles and less foggy to the sight, fining is performed. Some people like the earthy and pungent flavors of wines that haven’t gone through this procedure, but that isn’t true for the majority of wine drinkers. An increasingly common method of fining is mechanical filtering, which is fantastic news for the many vegans out there searching for great-tasting, animal product-free prosecco.

Do I heart wines have yeast in them?

Yeast is indeed an important component in winemaking. Sugars in the juice are converted into alcohol by the addition of yeast, which transforms the juice into wine. In this case, we’re talking about the process of aging. Yeast must be eliminated from a wine before it can be bottled.

In the process of making Prosecco wine, once the glera grape is harvested, it is immediately pressed and clarified in large steel containers at controlled temperature. At this point, the first alcoholic fermentation takes place – through the injection of specific yeasts – and lasts 15–20 days at a temperature of 16–18 °C. The product of this first process is a ‘base wine’ of low alcoholic content, which is then decanted and refined at low temperatures to remove unwanted sediments (1).

Is I heart Wines safe for those with food allergies?

The fining procedure of our wines includes the use of certain milk, egg, and fish ingredients. There may still be a trace of them in the completed product. Since many of these proteins can have an allergenic potential, some studies have evaluated the possibility that residual fining agents can remain in treated wines, thus posing risks for allergic consumers (4).

When it comes to serving and drinking wine, what’s the ideal temperature?

White wine, sparkling wine, and rose are often served chilled at 8-10°C, while reds are typically served at 12-14°C. No one will know the difference between a warm white and a frigid red.

How long can you store a bottle of heart Wines?

If you happen to have any leftover wine, just reseal it, put it in the fridge, and finish it off over the following several days.

For how long should you store heart Wines before drinking it?

Wines made and bottled by us are meant to be consumed at their peak of freshness. So what’s the holdup? You should try to savor them as soon as possible once you get them.