It’s been 15 years since “Mean Girls” first hit theaters and to this day, Tina Fey’s comedy remains a beloved part of pop and camp culture. And there’s now a fetch vegan wine to help you celebrate.
Walla Walla, Washington-based winery Nocking Point Wines has teamed up with “Mean Girls” star Jonathan Bennett, who plays Regina George’s (Rachel McAdams) ex and Cady Heron’s (Lindsay Lohan) love interest, to launch the bubbly pink Wednesday Rosé. Because on Wednesdays we drink pink, right?
“You CAN sip with us,” begins the description for the vegan rosé, a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Zinfandel made in a collaboration between Scot Bilbro of Sonoma County’s Marietta Cellars and Bennett.
Is Wine Vegan?
What could be non-vegan about fermented grape juice? Whether or not wine is vegan all comes down to the winery how it goes about the fining process — an industry term that refers to how wine is filtered.
Fining might involve the use of animal-derived ingredients like egg whites, milk proteins, gelatin, or isinglass, the dried swim bladder of certain fish species. The substances bind to targeted components — usually, tannins or proteins — in the wine resulting in a clearer “finish.” While traditional, animal products aren’t needed for the fining process — bentonite clay, kaolin clay, pea protein isolate, limestone, and silica are all vegan options.
Eliminating animal products from the winemaking process is the goal of BevVeg, a vegan firm launched by former prosecutor and litigator Carissa Kranz. While the term “vegan” is not regulated by the USDA or FDA, a BevVeg logo means that not only that the wine in question is free from animal ingredients, but also that the company was completely transparent about ingredients used in its process.
“More than half of purchasing decisions are based on the label,” Kranz told LIVEKINDLY last October. “Companies, products, and brands are redefining their labels to target the evolving consumer audience. BevVeg is a way for a company to target the conscious consumer and, likewise, a way for the consumer to shop with confidence.”
Nocking Point’s vegan “Mean Girls” rosé is available online.
