The Raise a Glass feature is published in several UK regional newspapers every week – here’s a quick glance at Veganuary 2024.
When I first started to write drinks-shaped words several years ago, there was no such thing as Veganuary.
Now it is very much part of my annual themes for the start of the year, as so many of you are taking up the challenge.
To be vegan means to exclude all animal products from your lifestyle.
How does this impact the world of wine?
Animal products can be included in the final processes of winemaking. When most wines are sold, they have been clarified to remove sediment.
It is this clarification that can use animal products such as egg white. Now many winemakers are using non-animal alternatives. They must also carefully manage all of the production process to avoid any contamination.
If you’re doing Veganuary 2024 (but not doing Dry January) then you’ll want to track down vegan-friendly wines, spirits and beers.
And if you’ve invited a vegan chum round for drinks, it’s not just the food research you should be doing!
Determining if a wine is vegan is easy – the information should be on the label. Many supermarket and drinks’ retailer websites have a “vegan” search filter – such as the link to this one on The Wine Society.
The website Barnivore is also a fantastic search resource.
While most spirits are vegan, be cautious of those with themes like “honey,” as honey comes from bees!
Here’s some vegan-friendly sips:
Salford Rum Dark Spice (RRP £33, at salfordrum.com, or £27.49 online at Master of Malt): This is a truly toe-warming rum in a bottle illustrated with detailed industrial maps of the Salford docks in its early 1900s heyday. Those bottles are keepers. The rum’s notes of figs, burnt caramel and vanilla, will lift your January spirits when all around you is rain or frost.
The Ned Southern Valleys Pinot Noir (£14.99, or £11.99 in a buy six deal at Majestic): New Zealand pinot noir is one of my go-tos. This red has tip-top precise notes of cranberry and redcurrant and is as fresh as a mountain brook.
Another crunchy pinot noir to look out for is Zana Romanian Pinot Noir (£8.50, Ocado) made by Cramele Recas.
Three white wines
Or perhaps head towards a white wine from the same wine producer.
Fetele Feteasca Regala (£11, corneyandbarrow.com) showcases the native Romanian grape Fetească Regală. It has a silky mouthfeel and flavours of peach, pineapple and super-ripe apple.
This vegan wine will bring some much-needed sunshine into your life: Co-op Irresistible Marsanne 2022 (£8.50).
It is made for the Co-op by the wine producer Domaines Paul Mas. Marsanne is a white grape often found in Rhône blends and here it flies solo. It’s a very feminine, vibrant wine, with stewed apples, pears, peaches and flowers.
In a vegan glass of Plaimont Saint Mont Grande Cuvee (£9.50, Tesco), you can find a blend of unusual grapes from the south of France. These are Gros manseng, petit courbu and arrufiac which conspire to create a floral wine with soft peachy notes.
Ready to tackle Veganuary? Go to veganuary.com; and and for a deeper dive into vegan living, head to The Vegan Society’s website, vegansociety.com
First published in UK regional newspapers in January 2024: See “About ” me