[vc_row full_screen_section_height=”no”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Bottled Wine: Is It Its End?
Say wine and you think of the bottle, the 5-liter bag-in-box and maybe the good old demijohn. And why not, also of the fiasco, which accompanies the imagination of an entire generation of Americans who grew up in Chianti, novels about sunny Tuscany, spaghetti bolonnaise and LittleItaly.
But things are changing and among the scenarios that are gaining ground there is also canned wine.
What until recently seemed like heresy is in fact gaining a significant number of supporters, for a variety of reasons: from practicality to ease of transport and opening, through demographic and cultural motivations, up to – not to be overlooked – sustainability.
Growth – quantitative and qualitative
The success of canned wine is growing rapidly: sales of canned wine grew by 125% in the 52 weeks ending June 18, 2016, reaching $14.5 million (Nielsen data).
A certainly limited market share – today the canned wine market is worth less than 1% of the American market – but not to be underestimated if we consider that in 2014 sales were worth only 2 million dollars while in 2017 they reached 28 million dollars, exceeding the growth rate of any other wine container (glass, bag-in-box, Tetrapak).
The trend of growth, not only in quantity but also in quality, of canned wine has recently attracted the attention of Wine Spectator, which has tried to understand the reasons and draw up a list a small review of the best, with values that for the best are around 86 points.
The Origins: The Coppola Family
But let's take a step back: the first canned wine on American soil appeared 10 years ago, in 2008, signed by The Coppola Family- reports Market Watch .
The can came with a straw included and contained a 2013 Blanc de Blancs.
Success didn't come immediately, but the company persevered, still bottling its sparkling rosé and its high-end Diamond Collection line in cans.
Meanwhile, in June 2016, Nielsen recorded a spectacular growth rate of +125%, putting the spotlight on the category.
The Consecration: Underwood
Part of the success is also due to the emphasis placed on the category by Oregon-based Union Wine & Co. – Market Watch also notes – which launched the brand Underwood, introducing 375 ml cans (Coppola's were 250 ml). Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Rosè, sparkling Rosè, but also Riesling radler.
The 24 cans (the equivalent of a case of wine) cost between 24 dollars and 28 dollars – between 20 and 24 euros – and can be purchased directly from the e-commerce site.
Today 55% of the company's production is in cans.
The typical producer
Companies like Barefoot e flipflop as well as some players linked to renowned companies, such as Evan Frazier, assistant winemaker at Kongsgard– among the most representative of the quality of Chardonnay in Napa – and owner of the brand Ferdinand who decided to bottle his own 2017 California Albariño. Frazier reports in the pages of Wine Spectator that the biggest challenge for this typology remains communicating the value of the wine.
Even though the volume of wine is that of a half bottle, it is difficult to go above 10 dollars a can.
The major limitations to date for the production of canned wine concern the limited number of facilities suitable for bottling.
A limitation that can be remedied in a relatively short time, especially if the rise in popularity of these wines were to continue as it is doing today.
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