How to obtain VeG Wine vegan certification for your winery

Daniel Gonzalez Ramos

CEO CONFICERT · Head of Development Department · ACERTA CERTIFICATION

Promotes new certification models based on technical rigor, transparency, and the generation of trust for the market.

Vegan certification has become an increasingly important factor for wineries that want to respond to the needs of consumers who are more informed, demanding, and committed to ethical and sustainable values. 

In this context, a key question arises: what is really behind a vegan label? In general, these labels allow wines made without ingredients or additives of animal origin to be identified, but they do not always provide clear information about the requirements evaluated, who performs the verification, or the scope of the process. This makes it difficult to understand whether, beyond the absence of animal-derived components, other relevant aspects of vegan principles are taken into account, such as the use of certain processing aids, pest control methods, or the possible use of animal labor during the production process. 

Vegan wine certification VeG Wine was created precisely to respond to this need for rigor and transparency, through an independent verification model with defined criteria that allow for objective demonstration of compliance with vegan principles throughout the entire wine-making process, providing clarity and confidence in an increasingly committed and competitive market. 

Vegan wine certification: what an independent body audits

The exact requirements that must be met and who will carry out this verification will be assessed. To ensure the credibility of the process, it is essential that certification is based on a public standard with defined criteria and that the audit is carried out by an independent certification body.

In the case of wine, the VeG WINE scheme establishes a transparent technical framework that allows for verification of compliance with vegan principles throughout the entire production process.

The standard has been developed by CONFICERT, a non-profit association of which ACERTA is a member, responsible for defining the technical requirements, evaluation criteria, and verification mechanisms. CONFICERT acts as the owner of the scheme and the brand, while the audits are carried out by authorized independent certification bodies, ensuring the objectivity of the process.

To obtain the VeG WINE seal, a self-declaration by the operator is not sufficient; it is necessary to pass an audit, in which the facilities are visited and documentary evidence and actual practices are reviewed.

• The absence of substances of animal origin at all stages of the production process.
• The exclusive use of plant-based clarifying agents, a particularly important factor in winemaking.
• No animal power is used at any stage of the process.
• The adaptation of pest control methods to vegan principles.
• Complete product traceability, from the vineyard to the bottle.
• The correct application of internal procedures and self-monitoring systems.
• Compliance with requirements by subcontractors, where applicable.
• Specific requirements for multi-site operators or groups of operators.
• Proper use of the certification mark, once granted.

This independent approach, based on verifiable criteria, reinforces the credibility of the certification and provides assurance to both the winery and the end consumer. 

Requirements for certifying wine as vegan: a guide for wineries

The obtaining vegan certification requires the winery to have a minimum organizational structure and internal controls in place to ensure compliance with the standard. In the case of schemes such as VeG WINE, certification is applicable to wineries committed to vegan principles throughout the entire production process, from the vineyard to bottling. 

To obtain VeG WINE certification, the winery must meet three fundamental requirements:   

• Be a producer and/or bottler of wines suitable for vegan consumers:with the corresponding official registration in accordance with applicable regulations, which ensures that the winery has an adequate legal frameworkfor carrying out its activity.  

• Have trained personnel: amember of the organization must have successfully completed specific training for VeG Wine operators, ensuring that they are familiar with the requirements and are able to apply them correctly.  

• Conduct a preliminary internal audit:prior to the external assessment, the winery must demonstrate that it has conducted a comprehensive internal audit of all the brand's requirements, having detected and resolved any non-conformities before the external audit. This step is key to identifying potential deviations and adequately preparing for the independent external audit by the Certification Body, ensuring that the requirements are met correctly. 

More than just a one-off procedure, these requirements reflect a work system based on control, traceability, and continuous improvement, aligned with market and consumer demands. 

Advantages of having vegan certifications in a winery 

Beyond meeting ethical criteria, vegan certifications such as VeG Wine bring tangible value to wineries from a commercial, strategic, and reputational standpoint. 

Among its main advantages are the following: 

• Response to demand: enablesyou to respond to the growth in vegan consumption and demonstrate your commitment to the vegan community by providing products that meet their standards and values. 

• Access to new markets: facilitatesentry into distribution channels and markets where this type of product is increasingly in demand. 

• Brand differentiation and positioning:helps you stand out in the vegan wine segment with verifiable backing that contributes to improving the winery's reputation. 

• Regulatory compliance: facilitates clear and truthful communication with consumers. 

• Transparency and credibility with consumers:independent verificationof compliance with the standard makes the claim "vegan" a demonstrable statement.  

• Protection against greenwashing: allowsstatements to be backed up with objective evidence, reducing the risk of ambiguous or potentially misleading messages. 

• Boosting vegan consumer confidence: the seal acts as an additional guarantee that products comply with vegan standards. 

In an environment where consumers demand evidence on which to base their trust, VeG WINE certification allows brand messages to be backed up with objective evidence. 

Transparency and traceability: what lies behind a vegan label

Transparency is one of the pillars of the VeG WINE scheme applied to wine. Beyond the use of a logo or a mention on the label, the scheme focuses on providing clear, understandable, and verifiable information about what is behind the product, backed by defined requirements and independent audits. 

Traceability, from the vineyard to the bottle, makes it possible to demonstrate that the wine complies with vegan principles at all stages of production. This aspect is particularly relevant in the wine sector where, for example, the use of certain auxiliary products during production is not always obvious to the consumer. 

In this context, ACERTA, as a member of CONFICERT, forms part of the VeG WINE certification scheme ecosystem as an authorized certification body, contributing to the development and application of certification models based on traceability, transparency, and independent verification as key elements of trust.  

The combination of rigorous standards, self-monitoring systems, and external evaluation means that the VeG WINE seal is backed by a robust, verifiable, and transparent process that is aligned with the expectations of consumers and specialized markets.