I never knew there was a demand for Vegan wines but living in Northern California’s true food Mecca, I shouldn’t have been so surprised.

I was at Thumbprint Cellars in Healdsburg not long ago and talked with vintner Scott Lindstom-Dake who boasted that his wines were Vegan. In fact, in his tasting list, all the wines are described as Vegan.

What Vegan means, in a nutshell, is that no animal byproducts are used when fining the wine. The fining process of a wine is an attempt to rid it of particles. Fining agents such as gelatin or Isinglass which is prepared from the swim bladders of certain fish are a Vegan no no.

Linstom-Dake said “Instead we use this really crazy idea called gravity.” So he essentially has no fining process at all, but makes a point of calling his wines Vegan. Since when did Vegan wine become such a hot marketing tool?

Linstrom Dake said there’s a Vegan wine movement and a website devoted to it. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/bz7auj

It appears we not only live in a Mecca of true food, but a Mecca of true wine, as well.