BOTTLE STOP
Blame it on the beer drinkers who couldn’t do without their cans. The big brewers kept them keen. There was even a bunch of wine cultists who raved about the joys of Melbourne Bitter. Weird.
Then a wave of craft brewers also ran with the can, Pirate Life, 4 Pines, Young Henrys included. Their success has prompted entrepreneurial wine producers to join the trend, mainly in the UK and US, while in Japan they have been a thing thanks mainly to the power of vending machines.
So it’s no surprise that now we see a new commercial range of wines in a can being widely distributed across the country in 1500 Dan Murphy and BWS stores, no less.
It’s not the first time someone has been there. Around 2002 we saw Barokes patent Vinsafe can-liner technology that prevented interaction with metal, but the wines were really for novice palates, sweetish and a bit bubbly. Its current range is still sparkling-dominant, and even includes a 300ml aluminium “bottle”.
That same technology, supplied via Visy and produced by Campari in Melbourne, has gone into a new range by Fourth Wave Wine, raising the bar in this genre, says Fourth Wave’s Nicholas Crampton.
Value-wise, you get a third the volume of a normal bottle for close to a third of the price.
Functionality is good, with cans chilling faster than bottles. There’s a higher level of nitrogen to protect the wine from oxidising, but that blows off if you pour it into a glass. And cans are safe in places where bottles aren’t, like boats and outdoor events.
“Wine in cans isn’t new,” says Crampton. “But we think we have brought a new level of dedication to bringing dry, varietal, bottlequality wine to a can, plus some cool labels.”
The new range includes Australian wines in the labels Take it to the Grave (pinot noir and shiraz) and Elephant in the Room (chardonnay and pinot noir). The Elephant in the Room 2017 Chardonnay ($6/250ml) is simple and fresh with citrus notes tempering sweet fruited almond/white nectarine flavours.
The two canned pinots ($6-$7) fall into dry red styling rather than more serious varietal expression. Take it to the Grave 2017 Shiraz is oldschool, super-ripe to almost driedfruited.