Cheese and Wine - Vegan style

If you hadn't thought about it before, you might not have realised that cheese and wine production can cause a lot of animal suffering and environmental damage. But the good news is that it's possible to have a great cheese and wine night with animal-free wines and cheese substitutes, as we found out on Friday 9th of July, 2010 at The Priory Centre, York.

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Lots of wine is produced using animal products like isinglass, casein, gelatine and albumin, so it might not be suitable for vegetarians or vegans. And if you're avoiding dairy products for any reason, you might think that you'd be out of luck when it came to a cheese and wine night. Not true!

About 25 vegans and their friends met up in York to find out just how much fun can be had at a cruelty-free wine and cheese night. There were a range of wines to sample, some brought along by participants and some kindly donated by a specialist organic wine importer. They also gave an interesting presentation about wine and guided us through some wine-tastings.

There were plenty of snacks, including cheese-substitutes donated for the event (see photos.) The most popular items (to judge by how quickly they got eaten) were home-made spanakofita and pizza (top tip: super-melty).

It was great to see a diverse group of people coming together to have fun. A drinker called Simon said, "It challenges peoples' preconceptions about veganism... we can indulge ourselves just like anyone else."

If you want to switch to drinking vegan wines, there are specialist suppliers like Vinceremos (based in Leeds, deliver all over UK) and whole-food shops and co-ops should have some. Some supermarkets are beginning to label their booze as suitable for vegans & vegetarians.

There are some more events coming up soon for vegans in York, like this picnic on Saturday 17th.