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Summer is in full swing and that means many of us will be taking happy hour to pools, rooftops, and picnic blankets. Lugging bottles of wine, glasses, and a bottle opener around can quickly become cumbersome. Not to mention that most wine glasses are easy to break, which is less than ideal when you're taking your drinks on-the-go.
Enter the growing trend of canned wines. Not only is it easy to chuck a few in your bag or cooler, but there's something extra refreshing about cracking open a cold can on a hot day.
To be clear, no canned wine is really going to replace a high-end bottle, or for that matter, even a pretty decent one. As Ashleigh Barrowman, a wine expert and natural winemaker in New Zealand put it, "I wouldn't be making a fine wine that needs cellaring into a can, but for a cheap, fun, easy drinking wine, why not?" Though she is quick to add, "No serious wine connoisseur or professional would hand on heart say canned wine showcases wine in its best light."
So while you should not be turning to canned wine for a Premier Cru Burgundy, it's more than acceptable for a light and bubbly rosé if your main aim is convenience and fun rather than serious tasting notes and prestige. And, admittedly, convenience and fun are exactly what most canned wines are aiming for.
I recently spent a hot summer day outside with a couple of friends (socially distanced and with masks, of course) taste-testing canned wines myself. While I'm no sommelier, I've done my fair share of virtual wine tastings throughout quarantine, so was eager to see how these cans would stack up. Of course, tastes are totally subjective, and what I find delightful and crisp someone else might find too dry or fruity. But my friends and I came to enough of a consensus on our collective favorites that I feel confident recommending these canned concoctions.
It's worth noting that a good chunk of canned wines currently clearly gear their marketing efforts towards women. Perhaps that's based on ill-conceived notions that women are more likely to drink lighter wines and rosés. Though interestingly, according to a 2017 study by the Wine Market Council, rosé wine drinkers between the ages 30 and 49 actually skewed slightly more male. And, a 2018 study by Wine Intelligence found "an almost equal gender split between men and women in terms of the proportion of regular wine drinkers," so perhaps marketers should take note.
One warning I should also offer that we learned pretty quickly: Canned wines are not the same as drinking cans of beer. Wines typically have a much higher amount of alcohol per can than beers or spiked seltzers, so don't start knocking cans back too quickly. Barrowman also cautioned canned wine drinkers to consider the amount of alcohol in each can. "A standard glass pour is 150ml, and most cans are at least 250-300ml. Your average consumers treating one can as one glass are in for a big drinking session and a hangover for sure," she noted.
Barrowman offered one other caveat to canned wines that's important to consider. "With wine, there are no regulations regarding listing ingredients. So for example if you are vegan, and if the label does not specially state the wine is vegan, you are likely to be drinking a wine that has been fined with egg whites, milk, or fish products." That's also important to keep in mind for anyone with allergies.
However, on a more positive note, Barrowman also touted the benefits of cans, including some for the environment. "It's more sustainable than glass, costs less to produce and recycle than glass, is easily stored, less prone to breakages, and ideal for festivals where broken glass can become a safety concern."
So, if you're ready to sip something light or bubbly straight from the can, give these a try.
The best canned wines to try: