We’re as Vegan as it Gets

How Is Wine Not Vegan?

A wine is considered vegan when there is no use of any animal products during the production phase of the winemaking. If there is no use of casein (powdered milk), isinglass (fish swim bladders and scales), egg whites or the use of any ox blood, pigs’ blood or ground up animal proteins during the winemaking process, then it’s considered “vegan friendly”.

We take it further than this. All of our vineyard practices are also vegan. Our packaging, including the glue on the labels and the vegetable inks to print them are plant based. Everything on our menu is vegan. Heck, even our principals are vegan. So, we don’t have just a few wines in our portfolio to jump on a marketing trend. We live by what we feel is best for all living things, ourselves, our planet and our wine.

Taste The difference

From a taste standpoint, time and gravity is the best way to let suspended particles settle out of a wine. But if you are a large commercial winery, time is money, and there are plenty of cheap animal byproducts on the market to speed up the process.

Then there is the use of proteins to adjust acidity and flavours. To us, these animal proteins have no place in wine. This means we have to “get it right the first time”, as we have fewer erasers in our tool box. We don’t have as much control using only plant proteins but we do have a more authentic expression of the terroir in doing so. 

We are working to make the best wines we can in the most natural, sustainable way possible. It just so happens making our wines in a plant-based way makes for a perceived cleaner taste profile. We so often hear wine critics point out how clean the fruit tastes in Karlo wines.

Vegan Eats & Treats

Our food service is also plant-based. We offer good snacking favourites which pair well with wine. Nibbles like olives, crispy onions, wasabi covered peas, tamari almonds, rice crackers, kettle chips, dark chocolate or dried fruit. 

We also offer plant-based cheese and charcuterie made with almonds, coconut, cashews, hemp and the like. We have “faux gras” made from walnuts, lentils and mushrooms along with old favourites like salsa, hummus and guacamole with tortilla chips, popcorn with cashew butter, potato chips and dip and much, much more, depending on the time of year.

For fine dining experiences, we work with local plant-based chefs who specialize in this cuisine. We offer the full spectrum from avant-garde gastronomy to County favourites.