Let’s Wine Down: Canned wine can be a better alternative than bottled wine
The notion that wine can be canned and easily accessible like Coors Light might make some self-anointed wine experts’ noses wrinkle, but I, for one, think canned wine is one of the greatest innovations in the wine world.
It comes as no surprise that Australia, a country in the New World — meaning winemaking began there after the 15th century as opposed to in Europe, the Old World, where winemaking has been going on forever — had the first winery to offer canned wine in 2003. I mean, a country that can produce wines named Monsters, Monsters, Attack! and 19 Crimes is not going to be afraid to revolutionize winemaking and wine-drinking.
Accessibility
Canned wines tackle the two barriers that keep most college students from drinking wine: costliness and formality. For the most part, canned wines are as affordable as beer and definitely cheaper than most bottled wines at the supermarket. The debate surrounding wine versus beer on the issue of cost and affordability should be less difficult with the introduction of this new form of drinking wine. Wine in a can removes the snobbery that is historically associated with wine. You can literally bring it to a tailgate, backyard barbecue, the swimming pool or a picnic with the casualness that you would bring any other beverage. You certainly don’t need a wine bottle opener, that’s for sure!
Aesthetics
Whether you’re an influencer or seeking to maintain a certain vibe in your life, canned wines can help you on your journey. Canned wines, with their cylinder shapes, fit easily in your palm. With unique branding, will look better in any post on your Instagram or Snapchat than a red Solo cup ever would — not to mention the possibilities for those artful table designs at one of your upcoming holiday parties or birthday celebrations. Canned wines, such as Babe Rose with Bubbles ($10.99/TotalWine.com) and millennial wine brands like Nomadica, are being introduced to the market on a yearly basis so be sure to do some research.
Sustainability
Important things to consider are our drinking habits and their environmental impacts. While this is a fairly new conversation within the wine world, canned wines show promising results in comparison to bottled wine in terms of recyclability and shipping. Recyclability of aluminum cans is more straightforward than that of glass bottles and can even boast a faster turnaround rate from the recycling center back onto the store shelves.
When the vast majority of wine drinkers in the United States are drinking purely for consumption and not collection, the bottling of wine loses much of its intended purpose, and the transition to cans makes so much sense. You can also transport a larger quantity of canned wines than bottled wines in a single truck, so we’ll be cutting down on carbon emissions too!
At the end of the day, canned wines can be a great alternative to bottled wines and beers. The benefits outweigh the negativity from the snobs that keeps people from drinking canned wines. But as the saying goes, haters are going to hate. So hit up your local liquor store or supermarket, and cheers to a can of wine!
Ted Wint is a senior writing about wine culture for the Daily Trojan. His column “Let’s Wine Down” runs every other Thursday.