Our Owner & Founder
Frances Gonzalez, a long-time vegan and wine lover, can still remember the day the day she told her Puerto Rican family she was never eating meat again. But her journey to becoming vegan didn't happen overnight - it's been a lifelong evolution.
During a wine tasting tour in France, her guide mentioned the words "egg whites" and her ears perked up. It was then that she learned many animal products are frequently involved in the winemaking process, making the end product unsuitable for vegans.
When Frances discovered there were vegan wine club options in Europe but none in the USA, the idea for Vegan Wines was born!
Having been routinely frustrated by trying to order vegan wines in restaurants and locate animal-friendly bottles in wine shops, she now seeks to spread awareness and make buying vegan wines easier. Today she travels to wineries to ensure their winemaking methods are completely free from animal products before asking them to partner with Vegan Wines. Sample some of her best finds by joining our wine club today!
“Vegan Wines is not just about wine. It’s about knowing exactly what you’re drinking. During my tastings, I talk with the owner, wine tasting manager, or winemaker. I go directly to the source to verify that the wine is vegan from the soil to the fining and filtering processes. I want our customers to feel confident knowing what’s in their wine.”
Our In-House Sommelier
Wine consultant Sunny Gandara, DWS, CWE, will serve as our in-house sommelier and wine educator. Sunny has nearly 15 years of experience working in the wine and spirits industry in NYC. She holds her WSET Diploma and is a Certified Wine Educator through the Society of Wine Educators.
Sunny has worked across the board in sales for distributors, as a retail wine buyer and independent educator and currently runs her own wine, food and vegan lifestyle consulting firm, Sunny Gandara International. A professionally trained chef, she loves pairing plant-based foods with vegan wines and thrives on demystifying food and wine for her audience.
Sunny will be on hand at Vegan Wines events to answer any questions you may have about wine or wine and food pairing.
Learn More About Our Wine Club...
For animal-friendly wines from smaller, boutique vineyards and wineries, check out what we offer.
