Why canned wine is finally worth drinking – and 13 of the best to try

Once the butt of the wine world’s jokes, canned wine has grown up – offering convenience, sustainability and surprisingly good quality. Rosamund Hall rounds up the best to sip this summer

Founder of the Canned Wine Co says canned wine is a ‘photo in time’, forever captured in that moment (Rosamund Hall)

There was a time when canned wine was a joke. It was a basic, utilitarian way to drink wine – only to be consumed in three situations: on a train, at a festival, or during a picnic. Nowhere else. I mean, I love train wine, but I could never understand why, if you were travelling with mates, you wouldn’t just crack open a bottle?

But, step forward, canned wine 2.0. It’s gotten all grown up and is definitely a lot classier.

In many ways, a can is the perfect vessel for many food items that need protection, and wine’s no different. It’s wonderfully lightweight, keeps things fresh and safe from oxidising, is easy to recycle, and, in the case of wine, isn’t bound by the archaic 750ml measurement. Furthermore, it protects wine from one of its most fiendish and little-talked-about enemies: light.

Wanting to understand more about the intricacies of canned wine, I spoke to Ben Franks, founder of the Canned Wine Co. In contrast to bottles, where wine continues to evolve, he describes canned wine as being a “photo in time”, forever captured in that moment – and that it’s only successful if you’re bottling a finished and ready-to-drink product.

But, like all good photos, you’ve definitely got to make sure the composition is on point.

Franks described at length how the technology around canning wine has changed, and indeed is driven by the belief that high-quality wine deserves to be enjoyed from the can as much as the bottle.

To make a good canned wine, you have to first start with a good wine made by respected winemakers using the highest quality grapes. You need to be left with a finished product that remains completely stable.

If you’ve ever tried a dodgy canned wine, you can understand how it’s very easy to get this wrong.

If you thought that wine was just produced and canned, instead of bottled, much like you might can a beer instead of bottling it, think again. There’s an intricate interplay involving not only the lining used inside the can, but the necessity for a deep and thorough understanding of the chemistry involved in the process – how the nitrogen, sulphur and dissolved oxygen react to ensure the wine doesn’t spoil. I mean, no one wants their fresh, zesty white turning into a mush of bruised apples.

We have seen steady, impressive growth in the UK market, with the global pandemic actually being a driver for the canned wine market, and according to market data analyst Nielsen, canned wine volume sales quadrupled in the UK, from £2.5m in 2018 to £10.7m by the end of 2020.

And that growth has continued to increase steadily, with Waitrose replacing all small-format wine at the beginning of 2023 with cans in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint from packaging.

But they’re not just good from a sustainability point of view. Cans offer a great opportunity for people who fancy a glass of wine, but don’t want to open a whole bottle. A 250ml can is a perfect pour when you and a friend or loved one might just fancy a small glass each. And it certainly solves the conundrum of people having different tastes. You love a rosé, but your best mate only drinks red? Get a can of each.

Having tasted a huge number of canned wines, I still feel there’s varying quality; 19 Crimes’s 20th crime might be putting it in a can as well as a bottle, so I’d swerve that one. Personally, I’ve found many of the sparkling wines just too frothy thanks to their carbonation; I’d rather make a spritzer myself.

Then there’s the question of cost – pounds per litre, they’re still more expensive than their equivalent bottle, so you’re definitely paying for convenience, but perhaps that’s mitigated by reducing wastage on unfinished bottles.

But if you’re looking to see if you really can taste the difference, maybe give one of these tins a try. Who knows, it might just be the solution you’ve been looking for to your midweek wine conundrum. And, while we’re not quite at the level of fine wines yet, in theory, there’s no reason why we can’t see those in the future.

Just remember to pour it into a glass; you don’t swig wine out of a bottle, do you?

Proof that fizz in a can can still feel special – these sparkling wines are fresh, elegant and picnic-ready (Rosamund Hall)

Sparkling chardonnay 2022 blanc de blancs, Canned Wine Co, Italy, 12 per cent ABV

£5.60 available nationwide, including Vin Can Can (200ml)

You’re perhaps paying for convenience here, as pounds per ml, it’s quite pricey. But out of the many sparkling cans that I tried, this came out on top. From the Monferrato region of northwest Italy, this is naturally sparkling, as opposed to carbonated, and has aromas of fresh melon, yellow apple and a slice of lemon citrus.

The Uncommon White Bubbly, England, 11.5 per cent ABV

£6, Waitrose (250ml)

Made from the quintessentially English grape bacchus, this is an easy sipper with charming notes of elderflower hedgerow and fresh green apples – it’s as pretty as an English summer’s day.

Zesty, fruity and full of flavour – these white wines in a can are anything but basic (Rosamund Hall)

Bijou Le Chic rosé, Pays D’Oc, France, 12 per cent ABV

£3.75 Waitrose (250ml)

An utterly refreshing glass with wild strawberries, fresh citrus and delicate white summer blooms.

Grenache rosé, Canned Wine Co, France, 2024, 12 per cent ABV

£5.60 available nationwide, including Vin Can Can (250ml)

A bit pricier than the average, but it’s made by highly respected winemaker Thierry Boudinaud. It’s a juicy, vibrant glass of ripe strawberries, orange pith and fresh acidity that brings together a wine with good length.

Mirabeau pret-a-porter organic rose, France, 13 per cent ABV

£3.75 Tesco (250ml)

An organic wine made by the renowned Provençal producer Maison Mirabeau, it ticks the box if you’re looking for pale and pink. Expect a delicate wine with aromas of ripe raspberries, rose petals and a lick of cream.

Pretty in pink and perfect for summer – these canned rosés are refreshing, delicate and dangerously easy to drink (Rosamund Hall)

Viognier No 2, France, 2022, 12.5 per cent ABV

£18 (3 cans equivalent price £8 per can) Canned Wine Co

I was really impressed with this viognier; it’s a restrained expression of a grape that can sometimes be a little OTT. It’s an uplifting glass of spring blossom, ripe orchard fruit tied together with refreshing preserved-lemon acidity.

When in Rome pecorino, Italy, 13 per cent ABV

£3.10 Waitrose (187.5ml)

An uncomplicated, fun, up-front and fruity Italian white wine, packed full of soft nectarines, ripe pears and a lemon sherbert twist.

Verdejo, Canned Wine Co, Spain, 2023, 13 per cent ABV

£5.75, Ocado (250ml)

Perhaps the most impressive of all the whites I tasted. While the nose doesn’t reveal much, in the mouth it’s bursting with lemon-lime zest, white peaches and has a long, mineral finish.

Villa Maria sauvignon blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 12.5 per cent ABV

£3.60, Sainsbury’s (200ml)

What can I say? It does exactly what it says on the tin. Expect fresh lime juice and tropical passionfruit in this textbook, paired with good-quality New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

From juicy Gamay to bold Primitivo, these canned reds prove good things really do come in small packages (Rosamund Hall)

Gamay, Canned Wine Co, Loire, France, 2022, 12.5 per cent ABV

£5.75, Ocado (250ml)

Bright and juicy, with notes of blueberries and cherries, this lighter-bodied red is best served slightly chilled.

Les Dauphins rouge, côtes du rhône, France, 14 per cent ABV

£3.75, Waitrose (250ml)

Having tried this wine numerous times from the bottle, there’s little to differentiate it from its canned sibling. Rich compote of strawberries, redcurrants and raspberries with a comforting and warming spicy finish.

Old Vine Grenache, Aragon, Spain, 2020, 14.3 per cent ABV

£18 (3 cans equivalent price £6 per can) Canned Wine Co

Made by a producer focused on organic and regenerative viticulture, this medium-bodied grenache is full of concentrated berries and cherries, with notes of cloves, cinnamon, and a hint of sweet vanilla.

Terre di Faiano organic primitivo, Puglia, Italy, 13.5 per cent ABV

£3.75, Waitrose (250ml)

Supremely tasty and expressing great character. If you like your reds full of sweet plums, hints of chocolate-covered cherries and a super smooth finish, then this won’t disappoint.