Wine Each Week – Canned Oregon

Canned wine might seem tedious. After all, wine has been sold in cans since before anyone reading this was born. And who wants the soda-pop sound of a can of wine being opened during your romantic dinner? Though trending, it’s nothing new. The first canned wines began appearing in the mid-1930s, then intermittently disappeared and reappeared again over the decades. The problem was one of acidity eating away at the metal, and the can imparting a metallic taste to the wine, which was cheap bulk quality to begin with. Canning fine wine didn’t take off until the inner linings of cans stopped transferring off-flavors.

Phil Markert, a fellow wine judge, and liquor sales manager for Vons, Albertsons and Pavilions, in Pasadena told me: “This is a trend that is happening in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The biggest driver is a younger consumer who wants packaging that’s more environmentally friendly but also wants convenience.” Faith Armstrong Foster, owner and winemaker at Sonoma-based Onward and Farmstrong Wines told me: “It had become apparent to me that people wanted to be able to include consciously made wines in more areas of their life where bottles are a limiting factor. “The wines she sells in cans are the same exact vintages she puts in bottles. She expanded into canning when she recognized the need for a more portable package, for beach days, hiking, camping, poolside, picnics, movie theaters, etc. “However, this is also offered as my small format, so really anyone who wants a half-bottle option has one. They are light, portable, chill down fast and make wine drinking more accessible,” she says.

Over the last few years I’ve had many canned wines and the quality is dramatically improving. One of my favorites is Canned Oregon.

White Bubbles: Soft carbonation gives way to lemon-limes notes, almond and mild pineapple, with a slight tartness of the finish.

Pinot Gris: Terrific wine with notes of guava, melon, papaya and lime kefir.

Pinot Noir: A lively Pinot complete with black cherry, strawberry notes with back notes of earth and rhubarb.

ORIGIN: Oregon

ALCOHOL: 12.5 – 13.5%

PRICE: $4.99/Can (375ML)

SCORE: 90 POINTS