When I compiled a list of the greatest canned wines last summer, it was difficult to find many that I was willing to consume. This year, though, the situation is much improved, but availability is a problem: many of the more attractive cans are sold out, indicating an unfulfilled demand.
I am not the intended audience, which Alexander McNair defines as “25-to-39-year-old millennial and Gen Z wine lovers” for the newly introduced Wild Steps brand. McNair says they’ve taken a more ambitious approach to the liquid they’re putting in tins.
I’d guess that many of them would be satisfied with anything from a can as long as it’s cold; they’re not likely to pour it into a glass, for starters. The malbec in today’s recommendation, for instance, is produced by the Argentinean winery Zuccardi, although that fact is not highlighted.
The wines are produced from organically cultivated grapes in sustainably managed vineyards, and ten percent of the profits from each can are donated to charity (at the moment, the British Beekeepers Association and The Woodland Trust). Importantly, at least for me, it is a wine that any malbec enthusiast would enjoy drinking.
And this is not a given with canned wine due to the quality of the liquid and the procedure of canning. According to Jack Green of Vinca, there are insufficient specialized scanners to supply the demand.
“Wine does not enjoy exposure to oxygen, therefore we must ensure that the canners are primed and ready to can the wine within a week of its leaving the winery.”
Unlike beer, wine reacts negatively to aluminum because of its high acidity level; therefore, Vinca employs cans coated with a layer of water-based resin and decreases the sulfur content to prevent any contact with the liner, which cannot be claimed of all canners.
There is also a durability issue: canned wine does not retain its freshness forever, yet some dealers are selling older vintages at prices that are difficult to explain. Green states, “We’ve discovered that our wines are still incredibly fresh after 18 months.” “After that point, they begin to lose their brightness and acidity.”
