OIV publishes good fining practice for allergens

The Organisation International de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) has published a document for winemakers entitled Good fining practice guidelines for wine to be applied after the use of proteinaceous [allergenic] wine fining agents [casein and egg white].

Casein and egg white are used for fining in winemaking and are added at the lowest level required to clarify the wine and a filtration process is normally used to separate the fining agents from the clarified wine. When best practice is followed, no detectable protein from the food allergen should be left behind in the wine.

However, when best practice is not followed, such as where larger amounts of fining agents are used, or less rigorous methods are used at the end to separate the fining agent from the wine, then protein from the food allergen could be present in the wine and labelling could be required.

The document includes:

• The definition of good manufacturing/fining practices for wines
• Criteria for methods of analysis available
• Background of scientific evidence

The full document is available via the OIV website: www.oiv.int.