Move Over Rosé – Cans Are the Hottest Thing This Spring
Spring has sprung in Washington State and that means the outdoors is calling. Fortunately, the wine industry has caught on to the correlation between wine drinkers and outdoor enthusiasts and there’s an uptick in producers packaging wines in cans. Because no one wants to lug a heavy glass bottle to the top of Mailbox Peak!
Created by Charles Smith in 2004, the House Wine label was one of the first to put wine in cans. Though the label is based in the state, most of the canned wines hail from other origins including a generic “American” designation as well as South Africa and Chile. They even offer a Grapefruit Spritzer and Sangria.
And I was only kidding about unseating rosé as the hottest trend in wine. Nothing can touch that success story. Except maybe canned rosé, am I right? The best of both worlds is available from 14 Hands, Cascadian Outfitters (by Goose Ridge), and Waterbrook. When it comes to drinking wine out of a can, I generally appreciate them in descending order from rosé, to white blends, and lastly reds. Perhaps that is because I associate drinks in a can with cold and frosty beverages – not room temperature red wine. Maybe that’s just me.
But, what’s going to be even hotter than rosé in a can? Canned bubbles. And for that, we need to circle back to House Wine offering Rosé Bubbles and Brut Bubbles in canned form – both with American origin designations. Columbia Valley-based bubbles are on the menu at 14 Hands, if you’re looking for local sparkles.
Sports fans, our man “Merf” (aka David Merfeld, North Star and MERF) has your back. His eponymous MERF label produces canned versions of the MERF Cabernet Sauvignon and MERF Chardonnay, available on premise at Century Link Field and T-Mobile Park. Beer may still reign supreme at sporting events, but at least wine drinkers can join the can-in-hand club.
A couple of final notes on this “light weight” trend. Just because the packaging weighs less, don’t forget that one can of wine is equal to half of a 750-milliliter bottle (about 2.5 glasses). A little can goes a long way. Also, please pick up after yourself on the trail. The cans are pretty but they don’t need a permanent place on the mountain. Pack it in, pack it out (and recycle!).
14 Hands Winery
Bubbles, White Blend, Columbia Valley – $5.99 — An off-dry, fruity blend of aromatic white grapes, muscat lends orange blossom notes to the nose followed by citrus, especially tangerine, on the palate. Very zesty.
Rosé, Washington State – $5.99 — Crisp and dry with pink grapefruit and rose petals on the nose adding strawberries and rhubarb on the palate.
Pinot Grigio, Washington State -$5.99 — A refreshing combination of pear, melon, and citrus – especially grapefruit.
Waterbrook
Rosé, Columbia Valley – $6.99 -– available in the PNW only.
MERF
Chardonnay, Columbia Valley – Price determined at location of sale — Rich and balanced with pear, apple, and subtle oak integration.
Cascadian Outfitters by Goose Ridge
Rosé, Columbia Valley – $30/6 pack — Deep pink, redolent of strawberries and rose petals, fruit and round without being cloying.
Red Blend, Columbia Valley – $30/6 pack — Fruity, lighter-bodied red filled with cherries, plums, and very little tannin influence.
House Wine
Rosé Bubbles, American Origin – $32/6 pack — Think spiked pink grapefruit soda with a dash of strawberry rhubarb, this can of rosé bubbles will please the person looking for slightly sweet sparkles.
Brut Bubbles, American Origin – $32/6 pack — Dry and refreshing with green apples and lemon-lime zest on the palate.