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Is Biodynamic Wine Vegan?
What vegans should know about biodynamic and organic wines, and why some wines need a vegan certification
At a wine-tasting earlier this year, my friend and notable Canadian winemaker, Maggie Granger of The Grange of Prince Edward Winery, had a question: Why was it that some natural winemakers, who aim to make wine as sustainably as possible, were still using animals in the process?
Natural and biodynamic wines have been rising in popularity for years. These options are more sustainable, drawing interest from those limiting the types of ingredients they consume or what farming practices they support, people who care about reducing their footprint on the planet, and anyone who just wants to enjoy a beautiful glass.
Unfortunately, many organic and biodynamic farms still use animals to work the land on the farm and use their bones and organs as fertilizers. It’s worth noting that this type of fertilizer use is widespread in all types of farming, and living a vegan lifestyle without produce farmed using blood or bone meal is likely impossible without going off the grid. Still, it’s important to know that biodynamic or organic labels don’t mean that animals were not used or exploited in the process.
The term “natural wine” can mean different things to different people, but the type of biodynamic often espoused by natural winemakers is more easily defined. The movement excludes synthetic fertilizers, emphasizes self-sustaining soil fertility, and treats the soil, crops, and animals of the farm as one interconnected whole.
The Demeter Biodynamic Farm Standard suggests keeping livestock as a means to that soil fertility end, using things like cow horns, stag bladders, cow intestines, and domestic animal skulls, combined with specific plants and minerals that are found on the farm. The livestock recommendations also include instructions for keeping pigs for meat production. To Demeter’s credit, they do have explicit rules for animal wellness on those farms, but it is unclear how these particular standards might be enforced or impact biodynamic certification.
For plant-based consumers who are more focused on sustainability, biodynamic wines produce less waste both at the farm and for the…
