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Committed vegans may be gagging upon reading Steven Kolpan's piece in Salon that exposes the filthy animal pollutants that corrupt the precious gape from the vine as it ferments into fine wine:

The fact is that while an increasing number of wines are technically vegan, a substantial number of wines still use animal-based products in the "fining" process: clarifying the wine by removing proteins, yeasts and solid materials that would otherwise make the wine cloudy and visually unappealing, or would even create off-flavors or aromas. Fining agents act as magnets for unwanted materials, and carry the glop to the bottom of the barrel or tank. Then the wine is "racked" -- poured off into another holding container, where the wine is separated from the solids. Racking is just like decanting, except on a humongous scale.

Fining agents typically used in wineries include egg whites, egg proteins, or casein (milk proteins). So far, this is good news for lacto-ovo vegetarians, but not for strict vegans. However, common fining agents also include gelatin (produced from animal bones), isinglass (made from fish bladders), and chitin (lobster and crab shells). And, while it's illegal in both France and the United States, some wine producers will even use bull's blood to fine their wines.

Bull's blood. Rut-row.