Oyster Bay New Zealand Wines

Company email (April 2013): "Oyster Bay wines, depending on the variety and vintage, are often fined with a range of products. In the case of the white varieties (Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay) a proportion of the juice receives gelatine fining prior to fermentation. Once the wine has been blended it will generally receive a light fining with whichever fining agent produces the superior result. This can be either a non-animal derived fining agent or a traditional fining agent derived from milk such as casein or skim milk or gelatine or fish (isinglass). The red varieties (Pinot Noir and Merlot) receive a similar fining regime except that the fining agents used at blending may include egg whites which may also be used as a traditional fining agent. Fining agents are considered processing aids as opposed to additives because it’s not expected that any of the added material will remain in the wine by the time it reaches the bottle. This is because fining agents bind to tannins in the wine and precipitate to form solids which are filtered from the finished wine. With regard to the manufacture of our wines, they are all made and bottled at our winery in Auckland, New Zealand and then distributed globally."