What’s in your glass of wine? Fermented grape juice is the obvious answer, so you would think all wine is automatically suitable for vegetarians, but that’s where you would be wrong.
Animal products derived from eggs, fish, milk and gelatine are often used to “fine”, or clarify, wine before it’s bottled – they bond to any particles in the wine, helping them to settle out and give you that sparklingly clear wine in your glass.
That doesn’t mean you might find fish scales floating in your wine – researchers have found little, if any, detectable traces of fining agents in wine – but the use of animal products in the wine-making process can be a concern for vegans and vegetarians.
As it’s not something that has to be declared on the label, and not all wineries fine their wine this way (minerals can also be used, and some “natural” winemakers don’t fine their wine at all), this could make wine choices tricky for the herbivores among us.
Vegan-friendly selling point
Delheim is likely one of the first local wineries to make “vegan-friendly” a selling point in two of their latest vintage releases, declaring that zero animal products were used in the making of the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc and Pinotage Rosé.
Winemaker Altus Treurnicht instead uses bentonite clay and plant-based proteins.
The sauvignon blanc is fresh and crisp, with a pale green hue and loads of fruit – opening on zesty lime and gooseberries and heading into figs and green apples in the middle, with underlying slick minerality, fruit and acidity in great balance.
Treurnicht suggests it with a grilled aubergines and summery salads – or grilled fish for the “flexitarians”.
Delheim founder Spatz Sperling pioneered pinotage rosé in South Africa and it continues to have a loyal following as it’s always a reliable choice when faced with the ever-expanding selection of pink wines.
The 2018 vintage is deliciously fresh with red berries and some floral and Turkish delight notes that linger pleasantly on and call for another sip.
It’s a super wine for any occasion and the winemaker’s veggie food suggestions include lightly curried sweet potato salad, roasted vegetables with chimichurri or pasta dishes.
Both are priced between R70 and R80, and widely available.
Also newly released, Delheim’s Wild Ferment Chenin Blanc 2017 (around R125) doesn’t specifically state if it’s vegan-friendly, but like all the estate’s wines it is eco-friendly.
Fermented with the wild yeasts that naturally occur in the cellar and vineyard environment, and barrel matured for eight months on the lees, the result is a wine of complexity and character – rich ripe fruit and a distinctive yeasty aroma lead into silky-smooth sips of ripe pears and honey, and a touch of spice and citrus on a pleasantly lingering finish.
Very happy drinking on its own, but it would also go well with full-flavoured dishes like a wild mushroom risotto, mustard-and-honey-glazed carrots, smoked salmon or a southeast-Asian-style meal.