A few weeks back we began the countdown of our Rascalisms with no-added-Sulphur, an initiative we offer for a somewhat niche but fast-growing market. This week’s Rascalism, however, with over half of the UK adopting it in their shopping habits, is a whole different kettle of fish.
With the number of full blown vegans growing fourfold in the past decade, veganism is now being classed as one of the fastest-growing eating trends ever. If you have a Facebook account, there’s a good chance you also heard about ‘Veganuary’ at the start of the year. This involved 120,000 people turning to full veganism and vegan wine sales which, according to one merchant, were “literally astronomical”. Next January is only just around the corner!
Many big players in the drinks business are following suit; Isabella Sullivan of Imbibe notes that Guinness has recently joined a long list of beer brewers to go fully vegan across their range. The wine trade is no different. The Co-op has expanded its vegan listing of wines to 100 bottles this year, while Gaulthier in Soho has reported their vegan tasting menu now outselling their classic tasting menu.
Despite such an impassioned push for strictly plant based products, many of even the most staunch vegans do not realise that their eating habit applies to their wine selection too.
This is exacerbated further by the lack of requirement for winemakers to explicitly state whether their wines are vegan or vegetarian (many are not even aware that it is in demand!). Even if a vegan is cautious about their wine, they may be at a loss if you cannot provide any further advice.
That’s what we’re here for. At Wine Rascals, we made a concerted effort to find out which of our 320 wines are vegan and vegetarian, and we list them as such in our brochure, so you can easily pick out a vegan wine or fizz.
What’s more, we think you and your staff ought to know why most wines aren’t vegan in the first place, and how their taste is (or isn’t) affected when made via alternative methods. (Trust us, we’ve all been caught out by this before!)
Keep your eyes peeled for some educational content coming in the next few days about the technicalities of vegan wine.