Wines are sometimes not vegan friendly as wine is clarified through the process of ‘fining’, when fining agents are introduced it makes the wine unsuitable for vegans.
Young wines are hazy and contain tiny molecules; when left for long enough they will clear by themselves, but producers have traditionally used aids to help the process along which involves adding the fining agent to attract those molecules and leave the wine looking bright and clear. Commonly these fining agents are milk protein or egg whites which then make the wine unsuitable for vegans.
When caterer Seasoned recently undertook a review of their wine list, they decided that changes needed to be made so that alongside offering vegan food, vegan wine options were also readily available to compliment these dishes. Veganism isn’t just about food; all the elements of what a person is consuming at that event need to be considered. By introducing these options, Seasoned have seen an increase of 20% on their vegan wine selections for events.
Seasoned have seen other changes on their wine list including an increase in demand for their range of English sparkling wines. The Seasoned wine list includes Digby Fine English, inspired by the extraordinary life of the 17th Century philosopher, theologian, writer, pirate, inventor and ‘father of the modern wine bottle’, Sir Kenelm Digby.
In the Leander Club, the most decorated, elite rowing club in the world, at Henley Royal Regatta this year, Seasoned saw a 20% increase in the sales of Digby Fine English versus Champagne. The team were delighted as each bottle sold supports Leander Academy, training new talent to become the world champions of the future.
We look forward to following and reporting on the vegan hospitality and catering journey at Seasoned further with interest.