Nothing halts an outdoor celebration like a broken bottle. While craft beer has been enjoying an abundance of options in cans over the past 20 years, until recently, those who preferred canned wine were limited to poor-quality reds and whites.听Now, at long last, more wineries are turning to aluminum packaging to showcase their offerings鈥攁nd we鈥檙e not talking about the headache-inducing cheap stuff.
Whether you鈥檙e drinking wine straight from the can or pouring it into a camp cup, there are delicious options on the market with various varietals and price points. Over three days, a test team of bartenders, servers, and sommeliers from mountain-town restaurants gathered outdoors to blind-taste more than 30 selections of canned wine. Each taster brought their own outdoor drinking vessel, which included reusable tumblers, coffee mugs, and plastic cups. We took notes on flavor, aroma, and suggested pairings, and scored wines based on overall drinkability. Of the six chosen favorites, below, all but one are standard beer-can size: approximately 12 fluid ounces.
Underwood Ros茅 Bubbly ($7)
The Underwood ros茅 bubbly was the unanimous favorite of our tasting panel. It was a winner when consumed from the can or poured into a mug, and tasted great served cold as well as while it warmed up. This Oregon sparkling wine听is made with pinot noir grapes and blended with chardonnay and pinot gris, resulting in a drink that鈥檚 lush, with notes of strawberry and watermelon. 鈥淚t鈥檚 delicious,鈥 one taster said. 鈥淪parkling ros茅 in a can鈥攚hat a time to be alive!鈥 No matter your preferred activity, be it spending the day lakeside, skiing spring corn, or riding singletrack, this bubbly will help celebrate a good day outdoors.
Revelshine White California ($15)
Crisp and refreshing, the Revelshine White blend is a top choice for drinking on a sunny听day. The wine is best consumed cold; however, a few tasters noted that it was still palatable at warmer听temperatures. 鈥淚 would like to drink this floating the river,鈥 one said. And you easily could, thanks to innovative packaging鈥攖he unbreakable aluminum bottle features a screw top, is recyclable, and can be resealed and reused. Testers agreed that, due to its volume (500 milliliters, compared with a standard wine bottle鈥檚 750 milliliters), this wine should be shared and poured into a camp cup, although at least one tester said, 鈥淚鈥檇 drink straight from the bottle.鈥 Light and pleasant on the tongue, with notes of citrus and stone fruits like apricot and peach, this is an excellent choice for a summer picnic or barbecue.
Las Jaras Waves White ($12)
Our team of tasters ogled at the packaging of the natural Waves wines (white, pictured here, as well as red and ros茅, which wow with a glittery colorful graphic by artist Jen Stark. Once testers got past the can, they agreed the wines were flavorful and enjoyable. This white was on the sweeter side of the wines in our taste test, and both soft and light. It had flavors of tropical stone fruits and, as one tester put it,听is reminiscent of Starburst candy.
Priest Ranch Ros茅 ($10)
Many of our favorite wines in a can were ros茅s鈥攖here are many good options available, probably because ros茅 lends itself to fluctuating outdoor temperatures. This one stood out above the rest. Testers agreed that Priest Ranch鈥檚 flagship wine in a can is 鈥渘ot just a summer wine鈥 and will be just as delicious while tailgating at the ski hill听as it is fly-fishing at your favorite river. The wine is a blend of 60 percent malbec and 40 percent Grenache blanc, and it offers notes of strawberry and raspberry. One tester suggested that it would pair well with smoked trout or a cheese selection.
House Wine Original Red Blend ($6)
On a sweltering day, the Original House Wine red blend tasted great consumed cold, straight out of the ice chest, both from the can or poured in a cup (unlike many red wines we tried). It also held up well as it warmed in the sunshine. This is a medium-bodied and fruit-forward red, with notes of red berries, made from 40 percent cabernet sauvignon, 40 percent merlot, and 20 percent syrah grapes grown in Chile. One taster said the wine was 鈥渓ike a party on my palate,鈥 thanks to its bright, juicy flavors. At 12.5 percent alcohol by volume, this offering isn鈥檛 as strong as other red wines, which means you (hopefully) won鈥檛 get obliterated after a big day outdoors.
Browne Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ($15)
Without a doubt, this was the best red wine in our taste test: full-bodied but still super drinkable from the can. Cabernet is known for its tannins, natural preservatives that can taste bitter in a young wine,听and is best suited for aging in the cellar. But this wine from the Columbia Valley in Washington State was smooth on the palate and provided long-lasting flavors. Black-fruit notes, like boysenberry and plum, stood out, as did hints of leather, and it tasted best after being poured into a camping cup rather than consumed from the can. This wine will impress the true outdoors oenophile who does not want to give up quality for the can. One tester suggested pairing it with dark-chocolate s鈥檓ores and a campfire.