Wine is made from grapes so all wines must be vegan friendly, right? Not necessarily. Winemakers traditionally use animal-sourced by-products to clarify wines in a process called “fining” to remove unwanted elements in the wine which make it appear hazy or cloudy. These unwanted elements chemically bind with the fining agents to settle at the bottom of the tank or barrel and are then removed to leave a bright, clear wine.

Traditional animal-sourced fining agents include casein (the protein in milk), albumin in egg whites, gelatin from animal bones or cartilage, and isinglass (the collagen protein in fish bladders). However, increasingly winemakers from estates such as Lourensford are using vegan-friendly alternatives.

At the forefront of it all is Cellarmaster Hannes Nel who along with his innovative winemaking team, prides himself on creating fresh-from-nature wines that celebrate the purest form of the grape with minimal intervention.

“We use mineral and plant derived products during the winemaking process,” says Nel. “These ingredients, sourced from reputable and accredited manufacturers in the world, are great alternatives and we are able to achieve a more eco-concious end result in the bottle without sacrificing any quality or flavour.”

“Lourensford’s vegan-friendly wines are testimony to an estate with nature and environmental sustainability at the core of what they do,” adds Nel.

Because no animal by-products are used as fining agents, Lourensford can confidently state that the entire range, from the flagship Chrysalis to the awarded Limited Release and The Dome ranges as well as the River Garden Classique and River Garden Flower Collection, is vegan-friendly. “It is not difficult to make a vegan-friendly wine, it just comes down to the choice of finging agent during the winemaking process,” says Nel.

When it comes to a vegan-friendly perfect pairing, Nel suggests one of his favourite Jamie Oliver recipes: a roast brinjal stew and wholewheat couscous.

“I love this southern Italian dish that the Sicilians are famous for,” says Nel. “It is healthy, nutritious and fast to make. You can enjoy it either for lunch or dinner and it pairs really well with our Lourensford Dome Chardonnay or the Lourensford Dome Pinot noir.”

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large brinjal
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon baby capers
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 8 green olives (pitted)
• 150g wholewheat couscous
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon flaked almonds
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Trim and cut the brinjal into large chunks. Using a large pan heat olive oil over meduim heat, add the brinjal, dried oregano and little sea salt. Toss is all together to coat the brinjal chunks.

2. Turn the heat up to high and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, giving the pan a shake every now and then.

3. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Pick and chop the parsley leaves and finely chop the stalks. Roughly trim and chop the tomatoes.

4. Once the brinjal is golden all over add the onion, garlic and parsley stalks. Cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes. If the brinjal gets too dry, add a little more olive oil to the pan.

5. Drain and add the capers, destone and add the olives, then drizzle over the vinegar.

6. When all the vinegar has evaporated, add the tomatoes and simmer for around 15 – 20 minutes or until the brinjal is tender.

7. Put the couscous into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and cover with boiling water, then pop a plate on top and leave to fluff up.

8. Lightly toast the almond flakes in a dry pan over a medium heat for 1 – 2 minutes, or until golden.

9. Using a fork, fluff up the couscous and stir through half the chopped parsley.

10. Season the stew with salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

11. Serve the stew hot with the couscous and sprinkle with the almond flakes and remaining fresh parsley to garnish.

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9 September 2018: Stellenbosch Wine Routes will host Stellenbosch Crush, an event for CapeWine 2018 to showcase the best of Stellenbosch wine and hospitality .

10 September 2018: Lourensford, as one of South Africa’s leading Conservation Champions, will participate in Farming with Nature, at Backsberg Estate. The Conservation Champions programme was established by the WWF, and the event will focus on Fynbos Regeneration, Carbon Neutrality, Water Stewardship and Renewable Energy.

12-14 September 2018: Lourensford will be at stand A41 at CapeWine 2018 hosted by Wines of South Africa (WoSA) at the Cape Town International Convention Center. An opportunity to experience our full range including our Limited Release Merlot 2016 which will be part of the Theme Tasting area, while our MCC Brut 2011 will sparkle at the Beautiful Bubbles table.

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The historic farm on the slopes of the Helderberg invests in sustainable energy to reduce electricity costs, with the solar plants contributing an expected carbon emission reduction of 987 tonnes per year. The 500kWh solar plant (3300m2) on the winery roof and the 186kWh solar plant (1300m2) on the packshed roof, generate 2800kWh daily, enough to run the winery with the surplus fed to the grid supplying the rest of the estate.

“Our vision is one where economic stability and environmental sustainability go hand in hand in a profitable partnership,” says Koos Jordaan, GM of Lourensford Estate. “The solar power plant forms part of our sustainable agriculture and conservation programme, which has also seen Lourensford protect about 1200 hectares of Fynbos and plant an extensive Protea farm across 18 hectares.”

Energy Saving in the winery:

• Smart metering installed (real-time computerised measuring of electricity usage to guide future practices)
• Procedures put into effect regarding the switching on and off of the compressors
• Refrigeration chiller software adjusted for more effective energy use
• ‘Time of use’ communication to staff on ‘red’ expensive times of energy use
• Installing energy saving bulbs in the winery

 Energy Saving on the broader estate:

• All homesteads on the farm have been switched to prepaid electricity
• Timers and blankets installed on geysers
• Tracker units gathering live data were installed on tractors and farm vehicles to monitor performance and reduce fuel consumption
• Inverters installed on pumps to ease start-ups
• The farm runs annual Earth Protection Awareness training sessions for all staff

Owned by business mogul Christo Wiese, the Estate has about 100 hectares of vines. Venues and activities include the Millhouse Kitchen Restaurant, a coffee roastery and art gallery. The farm hosts weekend markets, as well as cycling and trail-running events. Follow their progress on the Lourensford website, Facebook, Twitter (@lourensford) and Instagram (@lourensford).

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