Canned wine
While Americans embraced the idea years ago, it’s taken longer for concept of canned wine to catch fire in the UK, not least because of the snobbery surrounding drinking wine out of anything other than a 75cl glass bottle. But the world is changing, minds are broadening and wine packaging is evolving.
Consumers are more ethically astute than ever, leading some drinks firms to think outside the bottle when packaging their products. A quarter of all beer sold in the UK in 2017 was in cans, which are recyclable and portable – an ideal option for picnics in the park or trips to the beach.
Wine, too, is also demonstrating a can do attitude. Waitrose launched its own range of canned wine last June in time for festival season; a move the retailer said was inspired by the 10% rise in sales of its 187ml bottles in 2017.
Last May, new drinks brand The Uncommon released the first English wine in a can – a lightly sparkling Bacchus using grapes grown in Surrey – boasting a beautifully eccentric illustration of a top hat-wearing giraffe surrounded by butterflies and blooms.
Across the pond, sales of canned wine are soaring in the US, as consumers become more open-minded to alternative packaging format for wine. The canned wine category is so white hot, Nielsen has valued it as a US$45 million business, with millennials seeking out smaller measures spearheading its growth.
Keen to get in on the trend is Provence producer Mirabeau, which cooled Brits during the heatwave last summer with its popular frosé popsicles. Brand owner Stepen Cronk plans to launch his Provence pink in a can in the UK this year, having enjoyed success with the format in the US.
