How Can Prosecco Be Vegan? A Guide to Cruelty-Free Bubbles

January 3, 2026 •

3 min read

While many assume all wine made from grapes is vegan, a surprising number contain animal byproducts. Prosecco can be vegan by avoiding animal-derived fining agents used during clarification, a process that removes cloudiness to create a visually appealing wine.

Quick Summary

The vegan status of Prosecco depends on the winemaking process, specifically fining, where animal-based agents are often used for clarification. Manufacturers can use vegan alternatives or forgo fining entirely to produce a cruelty-free and delicious sparkling wine.

Key Points

Fining Process: Traditional Prosecco uses animal-derived products like isinglass or casein for clarification, which makes it non-vegan.
Vegan Alternatives: Vegan Prosecco is made using plant-based or mineral fining agents, such as bentonite clay, activated charcoal, or pea protein.
Unfined and Unfiltered: Many vegan producers skip the fining process entirely, allowing the wine to clarify naturally over time, resulting in a product that may be slightly hazy but is guaranteed vegan.
Check Labels: Look for explicit vegan certification labels, or terms like 'unfined' or 'unfiltered,' which indicate a vegan-friendly process.
Use Online Resources: Websites and apps like Barnivore provide searchable databases to check the vegan status of specific Prosecco brands.
Taste is Unchanged: The taste of vegan Prosecco is identical to traditionally-fined Prosecco, as the fining agents are removed and do not affect the flavor profile.
Health and Environmental Benefits: Many vegan Proseccos are also organic, meaning fewer chemicals are used in production, which benefits both consumers and the environment.

What is the Fining Process and Why Does it Matter?

After fermentation, wine, including Prosecco, can contain tiny particles of yeast, protein, and other residues, giving it a hazy or cloudy appearance. While completely harmless, most consumers prefer a crystal-clear beverage. The fining process is an optional step where a substance, or 'fining agent,' is added to the wine to bind with these particles, causing them to sink to the bottom. The clear wine can then be siphoned off, leaving the sediment behind. The issue for vegans is that many traditional fining agents are derived from animals.

Non-Vegan vs. Vegan Fining Agents

Traditionally, winemakers have used several animal products for fining. These agents, while not intended to remain in the final product, still make the wine unsuitable for strict vegans. However, as the market for plant-based products grows, more winemakers are adopting vegan-friendly alternatives to achieve the same crystal-clear result without compromising ethical standards.


Traditional (Non-Vegan) Fining Agents	Vegan-Friendly Fining Agents
Isinglass: A gelatin-like substance derived from fish bladders, often used for white wines.	Bentonite Clay: A type of purified clay with a negative charge that effectively removes proteins and other particles.
Casein: A protein from milk, used for clarifying white wine.	Activated Charcoal: A porous form of carbon that can remove unwanted colors, flavors, and odors.
Albumen: Egg whites, traditionally used to soften tannins and clarify red wines.	Pea Protein: A vegetable-derived protein that functions similarly to gelatin for clarification.
Gelatin: A protein derived from animal skins and bones.	Silica Gel: A mineral-based agent used for effective fining.
Chitin: Derived from the shells of crustaceans.	Kaolin Clay: A soft white clay used as a fining agent.

The Rise of Unfined and Unfiltered Prosecco

Another way to produce vegan Prosecco is to skip the fining process entirely. This is a practice known as 'unfined' or 'unfiltered' winemaking. In this scenario, the winemaker allows the wine to naturally clarify over time, often by simply letting the sediment settle to the bottom of the tank or bottle. While this process takes longer, many connoisseurs believe it results in a more natural, complex flavor profile. Unfined Prosecco can sometimes have a slightly hazy appearance and may contain a small amount of sediment at the bottom of the bottle, but its taste remains exceptional.

How to Identify Vegan Prosecco

Finding vegan Prosecco can be a straightforward process if you know what to look for, as labeling and transparency from winemakers are increasing. Here are some key identifiers:

Look for a Certified Vegan Label: Many brands that are committed to cruelty-free production will display a certified vegan symbol on their bottles. In the UK, this might be the Vegan Society's trademark, while others may have a regional certification.
Check for 'Unfined' or 'Unfiltered' on the Label: If you see these terms, the wine has not gone through the fining process and is almost certainly vegan. The label might also have Italian equivalents like "non-filtrato".
Use Online Resources: Websites like Barnivore maintain extensive, user-generated databases of vegan-friendly alcoholic beverages. A quick search can often provide information on specific brands and products.
Contact the Producer Directly: If you are unsure, visiting the winery's website or contacting them via social media can provide a definitive answer. Many producers are transparent about their methods.

Benefits Beyond Ethics: Vegan and Organic Prosecco

Choosing vegan Prosecco aligns with ethical and compassionate values, but it can also offer other benefits. Many vegan wineries, particularly those producing unfined or organic wine, are committed to sustainable and low-intervention practices. This often means less chemical interference from herbicides, pesticides, and sulfites, resulting in a cleaner product. For those with a health focus or environmental concerns, selecting a vegan and organic Prosecco is a choice that supports animal welfare, personal health, and the planet.

Conclusion: A Toast to Conscious Choices

Vegan Prosecco is not a special type of wine, but rather a result of a specific, animal-product-free winemaking process. By replacing traditional animal-derived fining agents with vegan alternatives or skipping the fining step altogether, winemakers can produce a delicious, clear, and cruelty-free sparkling wine. With clearer labeling and accessible online resources, finding a vegan bottle of Prosecco has become easier than ever. This makes it possible for everyone to enjoy a high-quality glass of bubbly, knowing that their choice supports ethical production and sustainable practices.

Visit Barnivore for a searchable database of vegan-friendly alcoholic drinks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not all Prosecco is vegan because animal products like fish bladders (isinglass), egg whites (albumin), or milk protein (casein) are often used in the fining process to clarify the wine.

Fining is a clarification process where a substance is added to cloudy, young wine. This 'fining agent' attracts and binds to unwanted particles, causing them to settle, so the clear wine can be bottled.

Common vegan fining agents include bentonite clay, activated charcoal, pea protein, silica gel, and kaolin clay, which all perform the same function as animal-derived agents.

These terms indicate that the wine was allowed to clarify naturally over time without the addition of any fining agents, making it suitable for vegans. It may appear slightly hazier than fined Prosecco.

No, there is no significant taste difference. The fining agents are removed before bottling and do not impact the flavor profile of the final product.

Look for a vegan certified label on the bottle, check if it's labeled 'unfined' or 'unfiltered,' or use online databases like Barnivore for specific brand information.

Not necessarily. While many organic vineyards also use vegan practices, organic certification only guarantees the grapes were grown without chemicals. The winemaking process, including fining, is a separate consideration.