Great, affordable wines in a can

WINE PEOPLE CAN be picky. Some only drink specific types of wines.

Others only like certain wine regions.

Even how the wine’s served has to be just right. Not too cold or not too warm. Only in this glass and not in that one.

That same fussiness sometimes even extends to the packaging for wine. No cute animal labels. No screw top bottles. Now imagine serving one of these people wine in a can. They would probably pass out or perhaps need to be led to their fainting couch in the parlor. Get over it.

Wine in a can isn’t a big deal. In fact, it’s a great way to have a small amount of wine, especially if you’re taking your wine to a picnic or the beach. Wine in a can easily fits into a cooler, right alongside cans of beer or other beverages. This week, you can learn more about wine in a can and read about four delicious, affordable wines that just happen to come in a can. And price wise, all four can wines recommended this week cost less than $10 a bottle, if they came in a standard-sized bottle. Hope you enjoy.

• History: Winemakers have been trying to put wine in a can for nearly as long as they have been putting beer in cans. According to a 2004 article in Wines & Vines magazine, winemakers in the United States first began putting wine in cans in 1936, one year after breweries first started packing beer in cans. However, winemakers back then were not able to keep the wine in cans fresh and stable. Since then, various winemakers have been trying to successfully put wine in cans at various times in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. Now, wine in a can is more popular than ever.

• Popularity: So just how popular is wine in a can? The sales figures speak for themselves. In 2018, canned wine sales in the United States increased by 69% in just one year, according to Beverage Media and Straits Research. By 2020, more than $241 million worth of canned wine was sold worldwide. And that figure is expected to grow to more than $725 million worldwide by 2030. “The demand for canned wines has increased as a result of people all around the world demanding beverages that are more lightweight and less brittle for outings and picnics,” according to a Straits Research wine study.

• Size: Most wines in a can come in 375 milliliter cans. That’s half of a standard bottle of wine. Now comes the great debate. How many glasses of wine are included in a standard 750 ml bottle? I agree with two of the cans featured this week, which state that one 350 ml can contains two glasses of wine. However, two of the other 375 ml cans claim to contain two-and-a-half glasses of wine. Half a glass of wine might not seem like a big deal. But what gets me is many restaurants charge the same amount for a 150 ml glass of wine (if you believe there are five glasses in a bottle) versus a 187.5 ml glass of wine (if there are four glasses in a bottle).