Jackson Triggs Unity Wine is Not Vegan Friendly

Company email (February 2019)
"Due to the agricultural nature of wines our wine compositions and ingredient additions will change as each vintage year presents us with different challenges that we have to adapt to. Generally, we do not use animal products in our wines, however, we do not submit our products for any classification under the 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' title."

Company email (December 2015):
"Fining agents are used on a lot-by-lot basis to optimize quality. Some fining agents contain proteinaceous materials. Proteinaceous fining agents are used to react with color and/or tannin molecules to make them removable by subsequent filtration. Both the fining agent, the color and/or tannin it reacts with are removed by the filtration process. All of our fining agents are government approved. One of our standard fining agents contains micronized potassium casseinate [casein is milk protein], food grade gelatin, egg albumin and other food grade components."

[Editor's note - this mail came from Jennifer Cowan, just like the one below, so we're assuming something's changed since the May 2013 update]

Company email (May 2013):
[After regularly purchasing the Niagara Estate Sauvignon Blanc until recently noticing the January 2013 Barnivore update, I wanted to double check and if I've understood correctly, Jackson Triggs' VQA wines are definitely vegan, despite the last update. Below is an edit of three emails I received from Jennifer Cowan, Visitor Experience Administrator, Great Estates of Niagara, Constellation Brands. She provides some insight on their BC wines as well.]

"Thank you for contacting us with your concerns. Our winemaker Marco Piccoli informed me that we do not use these agents [casein, gelatin and egg albumin] in our VQA wines. Although they have been used during testing in the past, Marco, our lab technician and I just had a conversation about this and they indicated that they are not used at this time.

I am familiar with this website [Barnivore]. ... Given that there is no source noted [on the latest update], I can only assume that it was not anyone from the Niagara Estate that provided that information; it may have been someone from Niagara Falls Cellars who produce the non-VQA product. Again, Marco has just reiterated the he DOES NOT use these ingredients during the winemaking process. Marco intends to follow up with the appropriate individuals within Constellation Brands.

I also spoke with Bruce Nicholson, Inniskillin winemaker, yesterday. Bruce is the former Jackson-Triggs Okanagan winemaker, and he indicated that he has not used these ingredients during production process for many years. Derek Kontkanen, one of the Jackson Triggs Okanagan winemakers presently, did his tutelage under Bruce and I would presume also adheres to the practices that he learned from Bruce.

To my knowledge, Jackson-Triggs Niagara has never made an overt claim or been advertised as 'vegan friendly' wine , however, these agents are not used here."

Company email (January 2013):
[I checked with them yesterday (and this would be for both the Niagara Estates and the Unity wines, in fact all their vineyards) and it appears they cannot guarantee that ANY of their wines are vegan.]

Here was their response:
"Fining agents are used on a lot-by-lot basis to optimize the quality. Some fining agents contain proteinaceous materials. Proteinaceous fining agents are used to react with color and/or tannin molecules to make them removable by subsequent filtration. Both the fining agent, the color and/or tannin it reacts with are removed by the filtration process.

All of our fining agents are government approved. One of our standard fining agents contains Micronized potassium casseinate [casein is milk protein], food grade gelatin, egg albumin and other food grade components."

Company email:
"From the receiving of the grapes all what we add on the product is: Tannins (they are extracted by the juice from the Oak) – natural Enzymes present on the skins of the grapes as well as yeasts for the fermentation.
As the juice is done fermenting we add some sulfur to protect by oxidations.
The wines age in tank or barrels with no further additions.
Just before bottling White wines are added with Bentonite (it’s a mineral from the “clay” family) to remove some proteins for stability – we don’t add this adjuvat to red wines as they do not have (generally speaking) this kind of instability.
The filter we use to clean up the wines is called CrossFlow Filter and uses Nitrile/Vinyl based polymers as physical screen for it’s cut-off."

Company email:
Thank you for your inquiry. Our winemaker has just responded saying that we do not use any animal products/by-products in the production of our wines.