Delicious UK – (01)January 2021

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CHEERS!

It’sa questionI’moftenasked:howcanwinebeanythingBUTvegan,whenit’s

simplymadefromfermentedgrapejuice?Theissueariseswhena wineisclarified

(soitisn’tcloudy)andstabilised(soitdoesn’tevolveinflavour)afterfermentation

Thisinvolvesaddinga finingagent,whichclingstoanyunwantedminisculeparti

inthewinesotheycanberemoved.Thoseagentsrangefromvegan-friendlybento

claytoanimalproductssuchaseggwhite,gelatine,casein(milkprotein)andising

(derivedfromfish).Althoughthesesubstancesaretakenoutafterdoingtheirjob,

amountscanremaininthefinishedwine and,ofcourse,vegansandvegetarians

generallyobjecttotheiruseinthefirstplace.

Happily,a lotofwinesare(andalwayshavebeen)vegan,andtodaytheirlabels

especiallybacklabels proclaimthisloudly.Thisincludesmanysupermarket

own-ranges.Aspecialshout-outtotheCo-op,whichpioneeredlistingingredien

onitsown-brandwinesover 20 yearsago; 220 winesinitsrange(that’s 46

percent)arenowvegan.TheCo-optoldme,“Peasandpotatoesarenow

findingpopularityasfiningagents.”Youcouldalsotrya specialistonline

winemerchantsuchasVintageRoots(vintageroots.co.uk),whichmakes

a pointofhighlightingitsvegetarianandveganwines.

Château Capendu La Comelle

2018, Jean Claude Mas,

Corbières, France 14%

(£6.99, Waitrose)

A new, great-value French red

blend that delivers ripe, rounded

flavours of blackcurrant and

brambles with a twist of pepper.

Try it with roast root vegetables,

garlicandrosemary.

NewLondonLightNon-

AlcoholicSpirit,Salcombe

DistillingCo,Devon,

England0%(£27.50/70cl,

salcombegin.com)

Thisis myfavouriteno-alc

spirit,withcomplexlayers

ofsevilleorange,sage

andwarmginger.A worthy

subinyourG&T.

TheVeryCautiousOne

Gewurztraminer-Riesling,

Australia0.5%(£6/75cl,Ocado)

Thiswhiteblend,although

0.5%alcohol,isoff-dryand

aromaticwithmuchof

riesling’szesty,appleynotes

andgewurztraminer’shintsof

roseandlychee.Cleverstuff

fromtheDeBortoliwinery.

Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc

2019, Marlborough, New

Zealand 13% (£13, selected

Co-op stores)

Premium NZ sauv blanc,

tangy and bright with a

refreshing cocktail of lime,

gooseberry and passion

fruit. One for tomato-based

pastasauces.

The expert guide to... VEGAN WINE

Susy Atkins chooses wines free of animal

products and grown-up no-alcohol drinks

Taste the Difference

Bío Bío Chilean Pinot Noir

2019, Chile 14% (£8.50,

Sainsbury’s)

A lively, plummy young

pinot from the country’s

south. Smooth and juicy

enough to drink on its own

• or match it with a vegan
  beanchilli.

VEGAN WINES THAT HIT THE SPOT

ON THE WAGON OR CUTTING DOWN? TRY THESE...

There’s never been such an exciting range of adult-oriented no-alcohol drinks. These three are my top choices to sip this month

Fortnum & Mason Rosé

Sparkling Tea, Denmark 0%

(£16.95/75cl, fortnum

andmason.com)

Hibiscus gives a pink tint

and red berry fruitiness to

a light and herbal, crisply

sparkling tea. It’s elegant,

light and beautifully

presented.

d

n.

icles

onite

glass

tiny

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drinks.