As the country continues to climb out of the locked-down life of the pandemic, predictions of an exuberant summer seem to have been undersold. Restaurants and bars are opening to full—or close to full—capacity, and Americans are spending more and more time outside with the friends and family they didn’t get to see nearly enough of during the long, isolating slog of the past 15 months. No surprise, then, that there is a growing demand for the kind of casual, delicious, and affordable wines that can be enjoyed anywhere with a minimum of hassle.
Which is why this could be the summer that canned wine finally makes the breakthrough that’s been predicted for years now. And a number of standout producers are poised to take full advantage of the situation.
Kaycee Mac is a prime example of the promise that the world of canned wine holds. It was founded in Kansas City, Missouri, by Keith Spreckels Jr., Kelly Flowers, and Blair Kocher, and with the help of winemaker Chris Christensen—a Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 winner who is also responsible for the highly regarded Bodkin Wines—Kaycee Mac specializes in canned sparkling wines…which seem perfectly positioned for what promises to be a summer of celebration.
Canned wine, like these two sparkling examples from Kaycee Mac, have made serious in-roads in recent ... [+]
Courtesy of Kaycee MacThe wines, explained Flowers, are “exclusively inclusive…we want everyone to feel comfortable drinking” them. To achieve that, the team has relied on Christensen to help find the best grape sources throughout California.
For the first vintage, the team had to rely more heavily on bulk juice than they wanted to—a common situation for new wine brands. Still, they were able to round out the wine with fruit from a number of high-quality vineyards that Christensen already had contracts with. In the end, the majority of the liquid came from Sonoma, with supplements from Suison Valley and Lake County. And the wines are excellent. Next year, the goal is to focus exclusively on Napa and Sonoma.
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The stylistic direction that the company is heading in, as embodied in their 2020 Sparkling Rosé and Sparkling Blanc, is clear: These are wines that are refreshing and balanced, appropriate for enjoying both on their own or alongside the classic range of summertime dishes, and beautifully packaged.
Their success wasn’t a foregone conclusion, however. The team learned early on that crafting great sparkling wine that was appropriate for cans as opposed to bottles raised a number of issues that they hadn’t initially considered. The pressure of the bubbly, for example, had to be lower, lest the can either explode or the bubbles become too effusive to make drinking right from the can possible or pleasant.
After several trials, Christensen determined that canning the bubblies at 32 psi was the answer. Champagne, for comparison, is typically somewhere between 70 and 90 psi, and the team was surprised when Christensen suggested this, but the results spoke for themselves: This wine was made for taking out of a cooler and drinking outside, and overly aggressive bubbles would have undercut that.
It was the right decision: Kaycee Mac’s has sold through almost all of their first run, and is well on their way to finishing out their latest one. That kind of success has been shared across much of the canned wine industry. Last August, Wine Spectator ran a story with the headline, “Canned Wines Sales Are Bursting At The Seams.” Forbes.com ran a story noting that, “At just $163 million, canned wines captured the smallest portion of [direct to consumer] sales—still, it is the fastest-growing packaging type, which increased sales 79% over the 52 weeks ending in June 2020.”
2021 promises to see even greater gains.
For consumers, this means an ever-increasing range of high-quality canned wines to choose from. Underwood, in Oregon, has been a pioneer in the world of canned wine for years now. Sans Wine Company has made serious in-roads, too. Even the canned wine spritz market is gaining the attention of serious winemakers: Josh Phelps, whose various Grounded Wine Co. bottlings I’ve recommended over the years, has crafted a strawberry wine spritzer that is as charming as it is unexpected.
The best canned wines are perfectly positioned for the season to come, and the vessel itself is largely responsible for that. Outdoor sports and concert venues have been quick to embrace them, not just because they’re each a single serving—the typical 250ml can is around 1.5 standard glasses of wine—but because their size also reduces waste.
Kaycee Mac has parlayed the outdoor-friendly nature of canned wines to give back to causes that are important to their team. They’ve partnered with KC Pridefest and the Harmony Project KC so far, but the goal is to donate some of their proceeds to local organizations in other cities in which their wines are sold to “organizations that promote inclusivity as well as music programs for underprivileged children in low income communities to help keep music alive.” Lubanzi, recommended below, is also giving back in significant ways.
Most of the producers recommended here have robust DTC channels for purchasing the wines, in addition to more traditional distribution in a growing range of markets around the country. Which is a good thing: The popularity of canned wines promises to continue growing. And, inevitably, the quality will continue to rise as well, whether it’s still or sparkling, dry or sweet, or somewhere in between.
“This is just a fun wine, whether you’ve got years of drinking wine or whether this is the first wine you’ve ever had,” Kelly Flowers of Kaycee Mac told me. “This is a wine to sip and enjoy.”
Here are 12 canned wines, listed alphabetically, to enjoy this summer...and beyond.
Acrobat Rosé of Pinot Noir 2019, Oregon
Fresh and friendly with effusive flavors of watermelon, cherries, and Driscoll’s strawberries, as well as a hint of candied rose petals, this rosé of Pinot Noir is even better with a slight chill—20 minutes in the fridge, or the cooler, renders those fruit notes exuberantly bright.
Grounded Wine Co. “Space Age” Meyer Lemon - Strawberry Rosé Spritz
After taking my first sip of this, I could barely fight the craving for a pastrami sandwich to pair it with: Sweet (yet not cloying) strawberry notes define the otherwise rhubarb-zipped palate, and those lemon notes sweep in on the ripe, refreshing finish. I am generally not a fan of flavored wine spritzers, but this is just unabashedly delicious. I’m not going to try and fight it.
Kaycee Mac Sparkling Blanc
Electrically vibrant, with mouthwatering lemon-lime notes subtly lifted with the suggestion of fresh-picked herbs. This is bright, refreshing, and impressively balanced throughout, with a slightly saline finish that demands another sip, and then another. Crafted from Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc. The Kaycee Mac Sparkling Rosé is another winner, with bright red mountain berries, tart cherries, and wild strawberries that are amped up with watermelon and fresh-squeezed grapefruit, and finish with a hint of flowers and a deep mineral cut. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.
Lubanzi Chenin Blanc 2019 Swartland, South Africa
Fair Trade certified, carbon neutral, and built on a commitment to giving 50% of the net profits to the Pebbles Project, which helps “low-income families who live and work on South Africa's wine farms,” according to Lubanzi’s website.This is a bracing Chenin Blanc that runs like a laser over the tongue, its lemon-lime flavors shimmering with notes of white licorice and fresh-picked herbs, and just the slightest suggestion of honeydew on the finish. Perfect alongside grilled seafood or fish.
Maker Chenin Blanc 2020 Clarksburg, CA
Each different can in the Maker lineup is crafted by a different winemaker, which is a great opportunity to experience the work and vision of some seriously accomplished wine pros in a totally different format. This one is from Colleen Clothier, of Revolution Wine, and it’s fresh yet sneakily complex, with lemon oil, springtime flowers, and shiso dancing together brilliantly. The Maker 2020 Rosé of Grenache, from Ser Winery’s Nicole Walsh, is all watermelon, rhubarb compote, and sweet spice. It’s also a single-vineyard expression, from the Lomo del Rio Vineyard in Monterey.
Roseade Rosé Lemonade Spritz, Australia
I’ll say it again: I’m not generally a fan of wine spritzers. Too many of them are saccharine-sweet and seem somehow artificial. And yet...this one won me over. It’s sweet but not cloying, with mouthwatering acidity, and a balance of bright red berry fruit and fresh lemonade that seems custom-made for the beach.
Santa Julia “Tintillo” Malbec-Bonarda, Mendoza, Argentina
This carbonic maceration blend of equal parts Malbec and Bonarda is fresh, fruit-driven, and practically dripping with the kind of plum, cherry, and pomegranate-syrup flavors that find an excellent balance between ripe and fresh. Chill it for 20 minutes or so, and enjoy on its own or alongside a charcoal-grilled hamburger, preferably outside. Santa Julia’s Chardonnay from Mendoza, produced from organic grapes and CCOF Certified Organic, is also excellent: It’s exuberant notes of pineapple and nectarine are shot through with brilliantly structuring acidity.
Sea Pearl Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Marlborough, New Zealand
Ripe and generous, with sweet pink and white grapefruit, honeydew, tropical fruit, fresh-cut green bell peppers, and sweet spice that rings through the candied-citrus finish. This calls out for aromatically spiced dishes like Pad Thai.
Wine Society “Chance” Rosé
Watermelon Jolly Rancher flavors are ripe and generous in the best possible sense, and never come off sweet or cloying. Flavors of stone fruit and the suggestion of sweet-savory spice linger through the finish. This is nothing short of gulpable. Zinfandel, Syrah, and Barbera.
June 18, 2021 at 03:21AM
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Canned Wine For The Summer—And The Rest Of The Year, Too - Forbes
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