Is Mulled Wine Vegan? The Answer May Surprise You!
Is mulled wine vegan? If it’s your first Christmas as a vegan, this question has probably crossed your mind. Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients of this tasty drink to see whether or not it’s suitable for a plant-based lifestyle.
It’s the festive season and that means it’s time for all of the classic Christmas drinks such as hot chocolate, hot toddy, and of course, mulled wine!
Navigating your first Christmas as a vegan can be tricky- sometimes it’s hard to tell whether or not your old favourites are suitable for such a lifestyle. I thought I’d take it upon myself to write some informational posts such as this one for quick and easy reference. You can check out the rest of my “Is It Vegan?” posts here.
What is mulled wine?
Mulled wine is a sweet, cosy drink, traditionally made with red wine. It’s flavoured with warming spices such as cinnamon and cloves, as well as fruit such as orange and lemon. You’ll often see this festive drink at Christmas markets and it’ll usually be served warm.
Despite many thinking mulled wine is an English or German tradition, it was actually created in ancient times by the Romans. Their version was known as “Conditum Paradoxum” and was typically served chilled- slightly different to the mulled wine that we know and love today.
Is mulled wine vegan? Not always!
Let’s take a look at the typical ingredients of a typical mulled wine recipe:
- Red wine. This may surprising (it certainly was to me when I first went vegan!) but red wine is not always vegan. This is due to the filtering process, where non-vegan ingredients such as isinglass and albumin may be used. This vegan wine directory will help you choose a cruelty-free red.
- Brandy. Brandy is sometimes used in mulled wine recipes. Most brandy is vegan-friendly but this guide by Vegan Bev will help to keep you right.
- Fruit. Citrus fruits such as orange, lemon, and sometimes even lime can be used in mulled wine. Most citrus fruits are vegan-friendly unless coated with shellac or beeswax.
- Sweetener. Some mulled wine recipes use sugar as the sweetener whereas others call for honey. Sugar may or may not be vegan depending on the origin- in the USA, sugar is often filtered using bone char meaning it’s not vegan. In the UK, sugar is almost always vegan. Honey is never vegan-friendly as it comes from bees.
- Spices. Spices such as cinnamon, cloves and star anise are used in mulled wine. All natural spices are vegan-friendly.
As you can see from the list above, there are three ingredients in mulled wine that may not be vegan- red wine, citrus fruits and honey. When purchasing from a store or Christmas market, it can be very difficult to know if they’ve used vegan-friendly ingredients.
If you’re unsure, it may be best to make your own from scratch, unless it’s explicitly marked as vegan-friendly. You can use organic sugar to ensure that’s vegan, use unwaxed citrus fruits, and vegan-friendly red wine. There are plenty of vegan recipes online to choose from!
Where to buy vegan mulled wine
If you’d prefer to buy it by the bottle, the following supermarket mulled wines are certified vegan-friendly:
- Asda mulled wine
- Aldi mulled wine
- Co-op mulled wine
- Marks’ & Spencer red mulled wine
- Sainsbury’s Winemaker’s Selection mulled wine
- Sainsbury’s non-alcoholic mulled punch
- Tesco mulled wine
Summary
Mulled wine may or may not be vegan depending on the ingredients used. Ingredients such as red wine and citrus fruits are not always vegan so if buying from a vendor, always make sure to double-check. It is super easy to make your own from scratch and there are many vegan supermarket versions to buy such as Sainsbury’s mulled wine.
