Did you know animal-based ingredients are used to make wine?

Egg whites, milk protein and animal gelatine are just a few of the animal-derived additives that make many wine brands a big no-no for vegans.

Now M&S is marking World Vegan Day (Friday, November 1st, 2019) with a commitment to have an entirely vegan-friendly own-label wine range on shelf by the end of 2022 – a first for multiple retailers.

Substituting non-vegan ingredients for plant-based alternatives such as pea protein or modifying vine management and winemaking techniques means these wines will be 100% suitable for those following a vegan-based diet.

Check the label

M&S was an early pioneer of this movement, first labelling wines as ‘suitable for vegetarians’ back in 1998, with ‘suitable for vegans’ following in 2005 – now all bottles are clearly marked on the back label.

Seventy percent of the M&S wine range is currently suitable for vegans, with customer favourites including the vegan-friendly M&S Prosecco (€10.50), Chablis (€17), Vinalta Malbec (€12.50) and Delacourt Champagne NV (€37.50).

“Obviously, such a large-scale commitment isn’t without its challenges – however we have been working on alternatives with winemakers for several years and have already seen radical changes in more traditional areas such as France and Spain.” says Sue Daniels, M&S Winemaker.

“We will be supporting the rest of our partner wineries every step of the way towards this goal.”

The move is the latest in the brand’s focus on plant-based eating, having earlier this year launched its vegan-friendly 60-product range Plant Kitchen.

This Christmas they’ll be selling a complete vegan-friendly Christmas dinner, while this week sees the launch of the Plant Kitchen Nutcracker Sandwich.