Winexpert is Not Vegan Friendly

Company Email:
"Winexpert does not include any animal products in the juices and concentrates we use in our wine kits. The only reference I can find in regards to animal products in wine production is the very old rustic Italian practise of including a pound of horseflesh in a barrel of wine, to 'make it stronger'. That sounds really disgusting, and horses are for petting, not eating.

Our fining agents are derived from animals. Isinglass is a colloidal protein made from the swim bladders of Cichlid fish, dried, processed and dissolved
in a liquid. As a side-note, the bladders are a by-product of a food fishery in Africa and the entire enterprise is completely sustainable.

The Chitosan is a long-chain sucrose polymer made from the shells of crustaceans like prawns, crabs, lobsters and shrimp. Again, it is a by-product of a food fishery.

However, it is simple to replace these products with Agar gelatine, derived from seaweed and easily available from health food stores. Dosage rates are
problematic, but I would start with two teaspoons of gelatine powder dissolved in a cup of water to start.

These product facts aside, it's important to note that many non-animal derived foods and beverages have significant sources of animal-derived products in them, as a consequence of where they are grown and harvested. To quote California winemaker and researcher Lum Eisenman,

"On average, one ton of California wine grapes contains seven pounds of dirt, one mouse nest, 147 bees, 98 wasps, 1,014 earwigs, 1,833 ants, 10,899
leafhoppers and three pounds of bird droppings. In addition, the waxy coating on grape skins contains many microorganisms. Grapes are crushed without washing, so crushed grapes contain several non-grape substances and many microorganisms. Consequently, attempting to sterilize crush equipment seems a bit futile. The nitrogen (bird droppings) and protein materials (bugs) are consumed during fermentation by the yeast. When fermentation is complete, the dirt, bees wings, earwig tails, etc. settle to the bottom of
the fermenters, and much of the yeast and ugly stuff is left behind when wine is racked."