The Eyrie Vineyards & BlackCap is vegan friendly
| Address: | PO Box 697 Dundee, OR, 97115 USA |
| Phone: | 888.440.4970 |
| Fax: | 503.472.5124 |
| Email: | jason@eyrievineyards.com |
| URL: | http://www.eyrievineyards.com/ |
| Checked by: | Brendon |
| Double checked by: | |
| Added: | over 6 years ago |
| Double Checked: | over 3 years ago |
Products by The Eyrie Vineyards & BlackCap:
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Vegan Friendly
Company email:
"Thanks for your question. It's an interesting one. The short answer - no we don't use animal products in making our wine. The gentle way we grow, pick, and ferment our grapes leads to naturally balanced tannin levels, so we don't need to add animal proteins to achieve correct tannin levels.
Now for the long answer:
It's true that animal proteins are frequently used in winemaking. Their function is usually to control the levels of tannins in the wine. Tannins are complex molecules that react with proteins. They are naturally produced by many types of plants as a natural defensive compound against pests and stressful conditions. In wine, overripe or stressed grapes can produce large quantities of tannins while still on the vine, and these tannin levels can be exacerbated by rough handling of the grapes during fermentation in the winery.
When tannins react with the proteins in your mouth, they produce a drying, gritty sensation. In subtle quantities, tannins create a velvety texture to the wine; in greater quantities the sensation is decidedly unpleasant. That's why some winemakers regularly fine their wines to remove excess tannins. The tannins react with the proteins in the fining agent and precipitate them to the bottom of the barrel, making the wines taste softer and more palatable.
However, at The Eyrie Vineyards we moderate tannins naturally. We carefully manage the amount of sunlight that falls on the fruit, keeping stress to a minimum while boosting ripeness. Our organic spray program keeps the grapes free of mildews and molds that lead the plants to create defensive tannins. Our deep rooted vines tap into perennial sources of water. As a result, drought stress is minimized and so are tannins.
The grapes are picked by hand, destemmed whole berry, pressed in old fashioned platen style presses, and aged in neutral oak barrels. These gentle winemaking techniques preserve the fruit flavors and give us naturally balanced wines that require little intervention on the part of the winemaker."
