DON’T JUDGE A WINE BY ITS CAN

This Be?

Having a can-do approach to wine

BY DAVID BIGGS

CANNED WINE BRANDS WE’RE LOVING

• Black Elephant Vintners & Co:

Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé & Pinot Noir. • Robertson Winery: Merlot &

Sauvignon Blanc. • Bruce Jack: Pinotage Cinsault &

Sauvignon Blanc. • Ben Wren: Red Blend, Bubbly Rosé,

Delicious Rosé, Chenin Blanc &

Sauvignon Blanc. • Chateau Del Rei: Semi-Sweet, Dry,

Rosé & Sweet Red. • Spier: Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé & Merlot. • Uncanny Wines: Chenin Blanc &

Merlot. • Perdeberg: SSR Red, SSR White &

SSR Rosé. • McGregor: The Delicious Monster

White. • CanCan: Grenache, Rosé, Chenin Blanc and Bubbly.

For many wine enthusiasts a great part of the enjoyment lies in the traditions and mystique that surrounds their favourite beverage. e rituals start long before the bottle is even opened. e wine must be stored in a cool, dark place, free from vibration and shielded from dangerous bright light. It must be stored on its side, so the cork remains wet and does not shrink and leak. Vintages are studied and there is great discussion about when would be the best time to uncork the sacred bottle.

It’s all too easy for a wine lover to become a wine bore. Wine has a long history and is regarded with some reverence even in the Bible. We live in a rapidly changing world, however, and few of us now have the time—or the desire—to spend our energy fussing and ponti cating about what we drink. Looked at dispassionately, many of the wine traditions simply don’t t into today’s lifestyle. ere are of course times when we want to make a special occasion of opening and sharing a special bottle of wine: a birthday, maybe, or the birth of a baby. More o en we drink our wine casually at home or in a pub or club, without any ceremony. e traditional glass bottle was obviously not designed for this relaxed and informal qua ng.

Increasingly wine lovers are discovering the bene ts of a concept that would have horri ed our forefathers—wine in a can. Before throwing your hands up in horror, consider some of these facts.

FACTS ABOUT CANNED WINE

• A traditional wine bottle contains 750ml of wine, which is more than a glass-full. is means the wine is usually shared with a companion, so each of the participants must drink the same wine. We all have our favourites and these may di er widely, so sharing a bottle o en means one person has to drink a wine that is not what he or she would normally have chosen. A 200ml can holds just enough for a generous glassfull, so companions can each drink what they really like. • Temperatures are more easily adjusted in a can than in a bottle, a few seconds on ice or in tepid water alter the temperature in a ji y. It takes much longer to chill a bottle. • A 200ml can ts easily into a briefcase or shopping bag, so there’s no problem about availability. It goes where you go. Simple.

Of course there will always be the traditionalists who insist they don’t like the taste of “ tinned” wine. Put them to the test. In recent times there have been several comparative tastings where experienced wine judges have held blind tastings of the same brand and cultivar of wine from a bottle and a can and nobody has been able to notice any marked di erences between the two.

It’s also been noted that cans are kinder to the environment than bottles. If anything leaves a smaller footprint on this embattled planet of ours it’s certainly worth considering.

It should be borne in mind, however, that the two packaging systems are designed for di erent kinds of consumers. is is similar in many industries that cater for varied classes of consumer. e manufacturers of Rolls Royce cars pose no threat to the makers of Volkswagens. ey share the road amicably.

Canned wines are not meant for long storing. ey should be consumed within about 18 months of purchase. A traditional glass bottle, on the other hand, will allow the wine to age gently for several years if it is stored correctly and there’s no denying there’s something very special about a great wine that’s been properly aged.

To put this in perspective, think of all the wines you have bought in recent months and count those you have kept for more than a year before opening.

Five? Two? None?

I’m willing to stick my neck out and predict that, sooner or later, there’s a canned wine in your future. ere’s only one way to make up your mind: buy a couple of cans to try. It won’t cost you a fortune and there’s a huge range of local and foreign examples from which to choose — red, white, rosés and even bubbly.

‘A 200ml can holds just enough for a GENEROUS GLASSFULL, so companions can each drink what they really like’