Over the past ten years, the number of vegans has increased by a staggering 360%, rising to 542,000 in the UK (according to the Vegan Society). For many, the inspiration to go vegan stems from completing the popular ‘Veganuary’ challenge. The Veganuary trend is growing more and more every year, with 2018 proving to be a record-breaking year with more than 120,000 people signing up to follow a fully plant-based diet for a month.
Seen as a few of the Hallgarten team have signed up and are well on their way to completing Veganuary, we thought we would help them out with a few vegan wine pairing suggestions (and help them also complete Tryanuary – see previous blog).
Each of these wines are suitable for vegans, having been made using alternative filtration methods.
Wild Mushroom Risotto x Santa Maria La Nave, Sicilia Bianco ‘Millesulmare’ 2014
A bright and fine example of Grecanico Dorato, with a distinctive minerality combined with wild mountain fruits, citrus characters and a hint of pineapple. Dry, with a balanced acidity, this elegant and harmonious wine has a lovely lingering finish.
This wine from a small, boutique winery on the north-western slopes of Mount Etna is a perfect pairing for all vegan food, including a wild mushroom risotto.
Thai Salad with Chickpea Carrot Peanut Crumble & Garlic Soy Dressing x Eden Road, Canberra Riesling 2016
A dry Riesling with hints of lime blossom and elderflower. Steely with an uplifting peppery finish. This New World style is from Murrumbateman in the Canberra Wine District, where they make refined wines that are produced from some of Australia’s highest vineyards. The unique combination of altitude and some of the world’s oldest soils, which were formed over 400 million years ago.
The dry style of this Riesling with good acidity makes it a perfect pairing to cut through the spice of a vegan Thai salad. The small amount of residual sugar (0.8g) in the wine is ideal for when you eat something spicy as the sugar goes to the background and the fruit comes forward.
Chana Masala, Indian curry x Fratelli, Maharashtra, Sangiovese 2016
What better pairing that a vegan Indian wine, with a vegan Indian curry? This light, but elegantly oaky wine provides the perfect fusion of acidity, with a natural impression of fruit sweetness and elegant tannins. Perfect to cut through a spicy dish.
The viticultural and winemaking expertise has been provided by Piero Masi, a master winemaker from Tuscany and creator of the famous ‘Chianti Classico Casa Sola’. The modern winery located in Akluj, in the Solapur district follows Italian traditions to showcase the team’s passion.
Quinoa Stuffed peppers x Johann Donabaum, Grüner Veltliner ‘Johann’ Federspiel 2015
A fabulous, restrained Grüner Veltliner with apple and lime characters combined with white pepper, cardamom and spicy minerality. This balanced and refreshing wine makes it a perfect combination with a simple vegan dish packed full of flavour.
Johann is carving out a formidable reputation for concentrated, mineral laden white wines. The production from his five hectares of hillside vineyard in the Spitzer Valley is miniscule, but despite this his prices remain really competitive.
For a full list of our vegan wines, contact your account manager.