Vinhound Canned Wine Hoedown: 2019
An image of canned wine, one a rosé, the other a sparkling white wine.
It’s 2019, canned wine is still in, and it doesn’t look to be going anywhere any time soon.
While wine has, at least for the past couple of centuries, mostly been moved and stored in glass bottles, producers have been looking for alternative ways to store wine for some time. In contrast to aluminum, glass is quite heavy, which means higher freight bills for producers, and more weight also means more climate change-inducing fuel gets burned during transport -- and, no surprise, climate change is a growing issue for the wine industry. Aluminum cans are also more durable, aren’t susceptible to cork taint, and are easy for folks to throw into a cooler and take to the beach or any other place glass isn’t permitted.
Still, what’s most important here at Vinhound is how good the stuff inside the bottle or the box or the can tastes, and that’s what we’re here for. This year, we tried 15 different canned wines -- from sparkling white wines, still rosés, to some heavier reds -- that ran the gamut of price and quality. What follows are our six favorites…
...but before we do that, one note of caution.
Canned wines usually come in a 375-milliliter size, which works itself out to a half of a bottle of wine. This is, in our opinion, too big -- the size of the can makes the volume of alcohol contained within a bit deceiving, which can make over-indulging way too easy. Also, drinking directly from the can presents some aromas or flavors which can be off-putting. Because of that, we strongly recommend that anyone buying canned wine both be mindful of just how much alcohol is in a single 375-milliliter can, and to avoid drinking directly out of the can itself. In other words: if you’re bringing these to the beach or the pool, grab some Solo cups, and share liberally.
With that out of the way, here are some of the best canned wines we drank this summer.
Ava Grace Pinot Grigio
A white wine made from pinot grigio, the Ava Grace was a nice-tasting and refreshing wine that was full of lemon, guava, and other tropical fruit notes. Purchased for $3.99 at Total Wine.
Amble + Chase Rosé
A pale pink rosé from Provence, the Amble + Chase had notes of strawberry, slate, and fresh roses. Perfect to drink while munching on some Moon Cheese. Purchased for $4.79 at Total Wine.
Simple Wines Chardonnay
The real surprise of the group, the Simpler Wine’s Chardonnay was a very yummy and drinkable wine, and surprised us as a nice and pleasantly oaked chardonnay. Notes were lemon, vanilla, tropical fruit -- almost akin to Trident Tropical Twist -- while not going too over the top. Purchased for $2.99 at Trader Joe’s.
Bonny Doon Vineyard La Bulle-Moose de Cigare Rosé
Not that I would expect anything else from Bonny Doon, but this was one of our favorite wines -- and this is coming from someone who often doesn’t enjoy rosé. It was pink and fizzy, very refreshing, and had a pretty deep bouquet of aromas and flavors that consisted of berries, fresh cut roses, strawberries, and citrus. Purchased for $8.99 at Whole Foods.
Bonny Doon Vineyard La Bulle-Moose Rousse
Like the above, another standout wine. We’ve found that bubbly red wines can be very hit or miss for our palates, but this hit the spot. It was a bit leathery, had some notes of tobacco and cloves, and fresh red berries. Purchased for $8.99 at Whole Foods.
Underwood “The Bubbles”
A white sparkling wine made from pinot noir and chardonnay, this wine makes for an exceptionally refreshing summer sparkling -- it is crisp and acidic, with notes of tropical fruit, citrus, and ripe flowers. Purchased for $5.79 at Total Wine.