Canned wines seem to be a new proposal, but the truth is that they have been around for a long time. It has been in the last three years that it has had a real boom, although many people say that it is a passing fad. Will this be an accurate vision?
Faced with the need to promote sustainability, canned wine offers several advantages. Although glass seems to be the most environmentally sustainable option, this material impacts 30% of the inputs of all production, from vineyards to consumption, while aluminum can be recycled indefinitely with very low CO2 emissions.
Certainly, there are other aspects to take into account, which consider the new consumers and consumption habits that have changed due to the pandemic.
The most receptive countries with the idea of moving towards canned wines are the United States and Australia, but it has been recorded that the global sales volume of canned wine will exceed 155 billion dollars worldwide. The millennials Americans seem to be focused on breaking with the canons of the past and seeing the benefits that this product offers in terms of portability, quantity to consume and also affordability.
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Canned wines: How good is it?
Basically a wine that is already good will not lose its quality even if it ends up in a can, because this material does not act on the product itself. On the contrary, the can is an excellent conductor of temperature, safeguards aromas and flavors and, in addition, guarantees good protection from sunlight and light in general.
Canned wines therefore have something in common with those poured into bottles: If the wine that went into the container is bad, don't wait for anything better to come out. There is no significant difference in the consumer's assessment. It has been proven that cans do not alter wines for those who drink them.
Last but not least, according to some studies, the inner coating of the cans provides a duration of the wine between 6-12 months.
Wine in Spain
In Spain the very conception of wine in the collective imagination it is profoundly different from that of other countries (plus Italy and France, of course). This drink is tradition, culture and passion, elements that hardly leave room for substantial changes.
The very way of drinking has concrete differences with respect to countries of America. Spain is a country in which a lot of wine is drunk, and in fact it is consumed, paying attention to the territoriality of the grape, the flow or the occasion of use. Americans, on the other hand, don't usually pay the same attention to the entire experiential sphere linked to wine use. Especially Millennials.
However in Spain with the proliferation of Delivery services inherent to the catering sector (motivated by the pandemic), the canned wines it is being increasingly accepted by businesses (even by a part of the population). Especially when you think about carrying a wine in the bottle as it represents a safer way to move the product.
The future of canned wine
It is believed that the sale of the canned wines is of particular interest to younger consumers, the same ones who, according to several studies, are not very interested in this type of drink.
To this is added the practicality of canned packaging taking into account the growth of food delivery by Delivery. The possibility of a single serving and of including the wine in the bag with the order seems an excellent compromise.
It also appears that many countries are promoting this tactic to reduce the problem of alcoholism., especially for the younger generations. However, there is also a risk that the opposite will happen: a 375 ml can of wine corresponds to two glasses, but the fact is that it is easy to drink even two cans, having the feeling that an entire bottle is not being consumed anyway.
In short, there are pros and cons, but can you compare the practicality of pulling a tab to uncorking a glass bottle?
Conclusions
Canned wines will not revolutionize the world, but they seem to have the potential to evolve it, or to push it to evolve in ways that are important to today's consumers. And for that he deserves a couple of applause. Why not three? At Cosme Vins we may be strict with our assessments, however, it is too early to predict the future of canned wine, as there is a lot of room for improvement in several aspects.
But we can't deny that this type of wine has the potential to grow (and satisfy a wider audience). Although the relationship between Spaniards and wine is mainly based on the satisfaction of the senses, that is, in a series of precise moments that please not only the palate, but also sight, smell and touch.
Perhaps the glass bottle, with its sensuality, the gestures that arise while the cork is extracted with a tire-bouchon, the sound generated at the time of uncorking and the image of wine pouring into a glass, never compares to lifting an aluminum tongue, however, canned wines are destined to be more than a passing fad.