Wine in a can?

Believe it or not, wine in a can is a topic getting a lot of discussion lately.

Purists say that the aluminum canister can’t possibly be good for wine, that middle flavors will seep into the wine and that the form factor ruins the experience. Taking a glance at some of the more recent reviews it seems as though that may be the case, but there is an important distinction to be made here: The term “wine in a can” is really a misnomer, because most of what is on the market is not really wine at all. It’s something that loosely resembles wine.

My entire staff of researchers went on a search for good quality wine in a can and unfortunately didn’t find many, however, that really had nothing to do with the cans. It’s all about the stuff companies are putting inside.

Today’s modern and completely safe liners in aluminum cans prevent metal flavors from leaking in. Most of what people classify as a metal taste in things like soda pop these days come from artificial sweeteners, not the can itself. However, when companies are filling cans with things like coffee flavored wine or carbonating their red wine, it’s no doubt people are skeptical of this vessel.

There are, of course, distinct advantages of cans:

• The canning process is significantly cheaper than bottling.

• Aluminum cans are 100% recyclable, collected virtually everywhere and have a much higher recycle value than glass.

• They are also quite light weight, much less than the equivalent wine in bottles, which can have a huge impact on shipping costs and emissions.

• Aluminum cans use about 1/10 the amount of material to contain the same amount of product.

• Cans are extremely easy to transport and make a great choice for activities like camping, boating and hunting.

In the wines sampled, the only downside seemed to be in the experience, if you’re a big swirl-and-sniffer. Of course, you can always pour the wine into a glass, but that defeats part of the purpose of it being in a can in the first place. On the flip side, the folks we talked to who had tried some of these wines said there was something about the convenience and every day appeal of drinking wine from a can that they enjoyed immensely.

Go figure, but they say once the wine hits your mouth it’s all the same anyway.

Wine in a bottle has been around for a long time and is probably going to be around for a lot longer. If you see wine offered in the can and it’s of a varietal that you like, what the heck, give it a try.