Wine in a Can Catching On

September 18, 2015 – Juice, beer, soda.  They all come in cans and nobody thinks twice.  So why not wine?

It’s happening, albeit slowly.  Francis Ford Coppola pioneered wine-in-a-can with his single serve Sofia Blanc de Blancs in the pretty pink can with a straw.  It’s been around since at least 2011.  The packaging emphasizes it is for casual occasions and on-the-go with special appeal to trendy young women.  Single 187 ml cans sell for $5.00.

Exploiting the canned wine market has so far been left to smaller wineries that understand the potential for cans in outdoor settings and activities.  Cans are environmentally friendly.  They’re recyclable, lighter to cart around, accepted in State parks and other venues where glass is banned, and quick to chill down.  Plus they are unpretentious.  No sniffing and swirling required.  No glassware needed. For consumers who are intimidated by all the palaver that goes on with wine drinking, wine in cans offers an easy introduction and an alternative to beer or cocktails.

So how does wine taste in can?  Just fine.  Lined or unlined, the cans impart no flavor and the acid level of wine is insufficient to affect an aluminum can.  Besides, they are not going to hang around for aging.  They are meant to be consumed fresh.  It’s just surprising that major producers haven’t invested in developing wine-in-a-can brands.  No doubt it will happen.  In the meantime, if you’re looking for wine for on- the-go occasions, here are three companies dedicated to bringing wine to the people that fits with modern lifestyles.  If your local supermarket or wine store isn’t stocking them, you can order direct.

Infinite Monkey Theorem, an urban winery in Denver, CO.  They proudly proclaim on their Home page “No Vineyard.  No Pretense.  Back alley winemaking at it finest”.  IMF also got its start in 2011 and owner Ben Parsons concedes it has taken a while but in the last year, national supermarket chains have come on board and so has Frontier Airlines.  They offer four packs of 250 ml cans of white wine, red wine, Moscato and Rosé costing $15.00 all made from Colorado grapes. http://www.theinfinitemonkeytheorem.com/shop

Another small winery owned by forward thinking Andrew Jones is Field Recordings in Paso Robles. His rare, one of a kind small lots include two varietal specific wines in cans – a Grenache Rosé and a Pinot Noir.  They retail for $30 a four-pack of 500 ml cans under his recently created second label Alloy Wine Works. http://fieldrecordingswine.com/shop/  500 ml is about three and a half glasses so it is enough to share.  Field Recordings also has three wines in cans under the Fiction label:  Fiction Red for $10; Fiction Pinot Gris for $8; and a Rosé also for $8.  All in 500 ml cans.  They are not currently on the web site so perhaps they sold out, especially since they got rave reviews!

Union Wine of Tualatin, OR is on a mission to produce affordable Oregon wines.  Underwood is the label they use for their wines in a can and they offer varietal specific wines – Rosé, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris Willamette Valley.  The 375 ml cans sell for around $6.00. http://shop.unionwinecompany.com/