Champagne takes celebrations to a whole new level. But if you’re vegan, you should consider a vegan champagne list so you don’t accidentally consume animal products.
If you’re looking for vegan champagne, check out brands like Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Laurent-Perrier, Nicolas Feuillatte, Lanson, and Perrier-Jouët. These offer a variety of vegan options without compromising taste and quality.
Remember, not all champagne is vegan-friendly as some use animal products but the market is saturated enough with vegan wine options so you don’t run out of ideas.
Is Champagne Vegan?
To be considered champagne, a sparkling wine should come from and be produced in the Champagne region of France. The grapes used to make these sparkling wines include Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay.
But even with these strict regulations, a majority of champagnes in the market are not vegan. During wine-making, winemakers use animal-derived products.
These animal-derived products typically include gelatin (from various animal parts), isinglass (from fish bladder), casein (from milk), and egg whites.
When winemakers use animal-derived products then the champagne is not vegan.
What Makes Champagne Non-Vegan?
As we’ve mentioned above, not all champagne is vegan. A majority of those available in the market are not.
It’s not exactly the ingredients used in champagne that make it non-vegan. Rather, it’s the wine-making process that makes most champagne not applicable to people practicing veganism.
In the wine-making process, there is a step called fining. Fining is part of the clarification and stabilization process of wine-making.
The step involves removing impurities from the brew. This softens the wine or champagne and removes bitterness, improving taste and texture.
Fining also removes proteins that cause haze formation which could affect the brew’s taste, aroma, color, and bitterness. This is done before bottling and aging the champagne.
Though it varies per champagne manufacturer, common fining agents include:
Gelatin
Gelatin is produced from the processing of animal bones, cartilage, and skin. Cows or fish are two of the most common animals used for this.
Isinglass
Isinglass is a kind of gelatin and a form of collagen obtained from the bladder of fish, especially the sturgeon fish species.
Casein
Casein is a protein found in milk and other dairy products. It’s what gives milk its white color. It’s one of the two types of protein found in cow’s milk, the other one being whey.
Egg whites
Egg white is the clear liquid found inside eggs.
Is There Vegan Champagne?
Yes, there are vegan champagne options available in the market, along with the classic non-vegan options.
Although most champagne options in the market are non-vegan, more champagne houses and manufacturers are making the move to be more inclusive and take active steps in producing vegan champagne.
What is vegan champagne?
Vegan champagne is a type of champagne that uses zero animal products in the wine-making process, whether that’s on the ingredients list or the wine-making process.
Vegan champagne follows a vegan diet and can safely be consumed by anyone following a strict vegan diet and lifestyle.
What makes champagne vegan?
So what makes champagne vegan?
As we’ve mentioned above, champagne becomes non-vegan due to the common fining agents typically used in the wine-making process. These fining agents are animal-derived products, therefore, they are not vegan.
For champagne to be vegan-friendly, wine-makers need to eliminate the use of these animal-derived fining agents.
Luckily, some other fining options don’t involve animal products – and more and more champagne houses are making the switch.
Bentonite
Bentonite is a type of clay known for its detoxifying properties, making it a great fining agent alternative.
Carbon
Carbon is an abundant chemical element. It can remove unwanted tastes and smells when used in the wine-making process.
Pea protein
Pea protein is an emerging fining agent that can get rid of wine’s bitterness and undesirable brownish color.
The Ultimate Vegan Champagnes List
If you’re looking to switch to vegan champagne for your next celebration, keep these brands in mind:
Dom Pérignon
Dom Pérignon is known for its vintage champagne. It’s also one of the most famous and renowned brands of champagne in the world. To add all to those good things, all Dom Pérignon champagne available in the market is suitable for vegans.
Moët & Chandon
Another well-known champagne brand the entire world knows is Moët & Chandon. The brand has centuries of history and is known for its luxurious and quality champagne offerings. In 2020, Moët & Chandon confirmed through Barnivore, that all of its champagne offerings are vegan.
Veuve Clicquot
You may know the champagne brand Veuve Clicquot through its iconic yellow label that catches anyone’s eye. In 2016, the company also confirmed through Barnivore that they do not use any animal-derived fining agents and therefore, offer vegan champagne.
Taittinger
Known as a classic independent and family-owned champagne house, Taittinger takes social responsibility up a notch and assures customers that it uses zero animal-derived products during its production making it a safe vegan option.
Laurent-Perrier
Laurent-Perrier is France’s largest family-owned champagne house. To stay true to its promise of authentic and quality champagne, the company confirmed in 2019 that they don’t use any animal-derived product in the processing and filtering of its brews.
Nicolas Feuillatte
The Nicolas Feuillatte champagne house offers quality champagne at a more affordable price than most high-end champagne bottles. What’s more, all of its champagne offerings are confirmed to be vegan-friendly.
Lanson
Lanson is another classic champagne house with centuries of history on its back. As of 2013, the company confirmed that all of its champagne is vegetarian and vegan-friendly.
Perrier-Jouët
Perrier-Jouët is another world-renowned champagne house that prides itself on producing quality champagne. All of the company’s champagne offerings are vegan except for the Grand Brut. Make sure you read the label and don’t end up getting the Grand Brut.
Is Vegan Champagne Cheap?
There’s no clear yes or no answer to this question. The price of certain bottles of champagne would depend on a variety of factors like the brand, quality, and the wine-making process of the champagne house.
Conclusion
Celebrations and champagne go hand in hand. But if you follow a strict vegan lifestyle and diet, you should familiarize yourself with a handy vegan champagne list before you make another toast.
If you’re looking for vegan champagne, look for brands like Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Laurent-Perrier, Nicolas Feuillatte, Lanson, and Perrier-Jouët. These offer champagne options that don’t use any animal-derived products in their ingredients or processes.
Not all champagne is vegan. But if you look closely enough, you will find some vegan-friendly options that don’t compromise quality and bubbles.
