THE SHORT ANSWER IS no. The long answer is a little more complex.  Simply stated, wine is fermented grape juice.  Yeast, either natural or cultured, converts the sugar in grape juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This simplistic process is by no means harmful to anyone, so what makes some wines non-vegan-friendly? Surely, wine isn’t tested on animals or is it? Again, thankfully, no. That would be a tremendous waste of valuable resources.

These days, wine drinkers tend to enjoy their wines clear and bright. Once fermentation is complete, wines are very cloudy. If it’s left sitting long enough, it will eventually stabilize and clarify on its own.  However, winemakers have long used fining agents to speed up the process.  Fining agents are substances used to clarify liquids such as beer or wine. Essentially, the fining agent acts like a magnet by attracting the molecules around it.  The molecules and the agent coagulate, creating fewer yet larger particles which can more easily be removed from the liquid. 

Traditionally, the most commonly used fining agents were isinglass, albumin, gelatin, and casein.  These are made from fish bladder protein, egg whites, animal protein, and milk protein, respectively.  Each of these fining agents is known as a processing aid.  They aren’t considered additives because they precipitate out along with all the molecules that cause the wine to haze.

If you’re a vegetarian, albumin and casein are acceptable, but if you’re vegan none of these are acceptable because small traces of the fining agent may be absorbed into the wine during the fining process.

All is not lost, however.  Today, some winemakers have begun to use clay-based fining agents.  For example, bentonite is very efficient at removing unwanted particulates.  Activated charcoal, another modern fining agent, is vegan and vegetarian-friendly.

In recent years, wineries have begun to focus on natural winemaking methods. Many producers have elected not to fine or filter their wines while allowing them to self-clarify and self-stabilize. While some of these wines are labeled as not fined or filtered, typically there is no indication that wines are vegan or vegetarian-friendly.  Currently, there is lobbying to change the laws so that labels list ingredients, but it’s not required. 

Unless a wine is labeled vegan or vegetarian-friendly, it’s virtually impossible to tell whether it is or isn’t.  The best advice is to go to places that sell natural wines.  While these places are not guaranteed to have what you’re looking for, the hope is that the staff at places like these are knowledgeable enough to lead you in the right direction.  I’m not vegan or vegetarian, but I do understand how hard it is to find what you’re looking for. Labeling standards have gotten better, so there is hope. For now, research is your best ally. Good luck and happy wine searching.