Vinhound Canned Wine Hoedown: 2018

We recommend drinking all of your canned wine with a view.

Canned wine is in, and if you don’t believe us, just search for “wine in a can” on Google, and have fun reading through all one billion-ish results. The Washington Post has written about canned wine. It’s at Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Target, and most places that sell alcohol of any sort. And, when you think about it, the sudden popularity of wine in a can makes sense: the cans, being lighter and more durable than glass, are easier to store and move around; they look cool; and they’re easy to toss into a cooler and take to the beach, pool, or grill.

But, at the end of the day, what matters is whether or not the stuff in the can tastes good.

To get to the bottom of what’s going on inside, we grabbed a dozen different cans worth of the stuff from a local beer and wine store, sent them to the fridge, and tasted them across three different nights. We tasted sparkling whites, flat whites, sparkling and flat rosés, red blends and even a single varietal red wine. Nothing in here was provided as samples -- every purchase came from the Vinhound petty cash fund.

Like any other wine, there was good stuff; there was okay stuff; and there was outright bad stuff. We drank it all outside with the express idea that the great outdoors is where this stuff should excel, and we (mostly) ended up feeling vindicated in that belief. So, without further adieu, let’s take a look at what we drank, and what we recommend!

White Wines

Pop + Fizz Sparkling Wine ($5)

Between the two of us, this was one of our absolute favorites. The bubbles were perfect for outside drinking, the wine was refreshing, and the flavors, which were grapefruit-y, a little peach-y, and crisp were spot-on. This stuff is super drinkable for a summer day, and at $5 a can -- one can works out to about half a bottle of wine -- we'd buy it over and over again for sitting out at the pool.

Marval White ($4)

This was a non-sparkling white blend that (to my palate) leans heavily on Sauvignon Blanc to provide a nice, almost herbal-tasting wine that also features some refreshing acidity and white fruit -- think peaches -- flavor. It was good, and was my second favorite white wine of the bunch, and is something you'd probably pair with food as opposed to drinking on its own.

La Fresquera White ($12/4 cans)

This was bad. Like someone added under-proofed vodka to barely-sweetened grape juice. We totally recognize wine and what people like is a very subjective thing, and try to look for redeeming qualities in everything we try, but we struck out here. Avoid.

Underwood Riesling Radler ($6)

This was... interesting. It isn't so much of a wine as it is a Riesling-infused beer, but Underwood has a good reputation, and we figured it was worth trying. However, neither of us liked it -- it was quite salty, and the added grapefruit was overwhelming. That might be for some people, and if that's your jam, you'll like this, but for the price, we'd have a hard time steering people towards this over the Pop + Fizz or the Marval.

Rosé

Seven Daughters Rosé ($12/4 cans)

An Italian rosé from Veneto, this was an alright, but unremarkable, rosé. Had crisp flavors of strawberry and melon, and was nice and refreshing. This might work as a nice crowd-pleaser for grilling outside, but it wouldn't be the first canned rosé we'd reach for.

Eufloria Rosé ($5)

Eufloria was a super nice and fizzy rosé that had nice and refreshing acidity, pleasant strawberry flavors, and a good body to it. Did I mention it was really good? Just like the Pop + Fizz up above, this is dangerously drinkable on a summer day. You can enjoy this on its own or with a wide range of summer grilling food; either way, it's good summer drinking in a can.

House Wine Rosé ($5)

Well, the can looks nice. When we drank this, we both looked at each other, and asked, "Does this taste like an inflatable pool toy smells?" And the answer was "yes." Avoid this one.

Red Wines

Note: While the white wines and the rosés were perfectly drinkable out of the can -- the good ones, at least -- the red wines need some time to warm up a little and should end up in some kind of glass

Bridge Lane Red Blend ($8)

Billed as a Merlot-dominant red blend, this wine from Bridge Lane was tasty, and features notes of currant, dark red fruit, and some oakiness. Nice body, nice and refreshing, we'd absolutely grab a four pack of these cans and keep them outside while grilling, but probably wouldn't take them to the pool with us.

Marval Red ($4)

A very light-bodied red wine, this wasn't bad, just underwhelming. Some fruity flavors, very light tannins, this would probably be a good grilling wine, but, even given the price difference, we'd still recommend the Bridge Lane over this. However, if you're looking for something lighter, this might be up your alley.

Underwood Pinot Noir ($6)

Another canned wine from Underwood, this one was significantly better than their Riesling Radler. It had a nice body, was dry and refreshing, and had nice currant, red fruit, spice flavors, and pleasant tannins to it. We strongly recommend this wine for grilling out, and it should pair well with a wide range of food.

Seven Daughters Pinot Noir ($12/4 cans)

Another light-bodied red with some fruitiness and almost vegetal flavors, which was interesting. A little spiciness, some tannins, and good lasting power. Another "not bad, but unremarkable" wine, but with kind of an odd and hard to describe aftertaste to it. You can do better.

La Fresquera ($12/4 cans)

Unlike the white wine from La Fresquera, the stuff in this can tasted like wine. A very light body, some acidity, and some tannins complemented very light tastes of red fruit and some cedar. Better, but not great, we'd pass on this offering from La Fresquera, and recommend any of the above reds over this.

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