Egg Albumin Powder (Wine/Juice Fining) — Hidden Processing Agent — Is It Vegan?

Vegan status: Not Vegan

Also known as: Ovalbumin, Dried egg white, Ovoclar

Source

Dried and powdered egg whites from hen eggs. Identical protein to egg white but in a concentrated powder form.

Used in

Red wine fining (softens tannins with a gentler action than gelatin — particularly suited to fine Bordeaux and Burgundy), some fruit juice clarification.

Appears on label: No. EU law requires wine labels to declare 'contains egg' or 'contains egg products' when egg albumin is used as a fining agent, even if no detectable protein remains. An important allergen disclosure that doubles as a vegan indicator.

How to avoid

Check wine labels for 'contains egg' allergen declarations. The EU mandatory allergen labelling requirement for egg in wine (since 2012) makes egg-fined wines identifiable.

Notes

The EU allergen labelling rules for wine (Regulation (EU) 1308/2013 as amended) require that wine producers declare the presence of egg or milk-derived fining agents on the label. This is one of the few cases where vegan consumers benefit directly from allergen legislation — the 'contains egg' or 'contains milk' declaration on a wine bottle is a reliable non-vegan indicator.