Wines that prove their mettle
Picnic season nears, so now is the time to explore just how good canned wines can be
Canned wines have been around for some time, mostly to make simple wines convenient for a picnic, festival or train ride but which failed to excite the tastebuds of discerning drinkers. That’s now changing fast. Improvements in canning technology have led to some really interesting wines going into cans, and sales have rocketed, up a whopping 94% last year. Much of this growth has been led by canny start-ups who seek out great producers, often taking mobile canning units to the wineries, and selling their wares directly to customers online.
Canned wines also have impressive eco-credentials, as they are 17 times lighter than a standard glass bottle with the equivalent volume of wine, so transport costs and thus carbon emissions are far lower, and they are almost endlessly recyclable.
But it is the ‘drink less, drink better’ trend where these wines really come into their own. They are brilliant for those who want just a glass or two of something lovely to drink without having to open a whole bottle. Most cans contain 250ml (two small glasses or a third of a bottle), so are perfect for modest midweek drinking at home or away, and 375ml (half bottle) cans are now appearing.
Drinking quality wine straight from the can is unappealing to most wine fans as it’s impossible to fully appreciate their flavours and aromas, so I’d always take the trouble to bring glasses to a picnic, even if they’re just basic tumblers or one of the many unbreakable wine glasses now available.
However, I think these wines are best drunk with access to good glassware. They can smell a bit funky when first opened, so they really benefit from being swirled around in a wine glass to let them open up and reveal their full charms.
The IGO range from Waitrose is well worth exploring, but also head to switched-on independent wine shops for the best, or websites such as Feel Good Grapes (feelgoodgrapes.com/wine-in-cans), which currently has the widest range available.
Kate Hawkings is a writer and wine consultant. Her debut book, Aperitif, was published in 2018. Follow her on Twitter @katehawkings.
Omagazine.com
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