First English wine in cans launched

New drinks brand The Uncommon has released the first English wine in a can, a lightly sparkling Bacchus using grapes grown in Surrey, and also has plans to can still wines and build its own winery in south east London.

After 18 months in development, The Uncommon, was launched by entrepreneurs Alex Thraves and Henry Connell in April.

With the aim of being “so much more than a pretty label” the pair wanted to bring the success of canned wine in the New World to England.

The Bacchus grapes are grown in the home county of Surrey and produced with the help of Dorking-based Litmus Wines.

Speaking to the drinks business, the duo said: “Our business model is to partner with multiple thoughtful producers across the UK, which allows us to ensure consistent high quality fruit. This year we partnered with Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey, which has produced some of the finest English wines over the years”.

While they’re currently working with Litmus, the pair told db that the brand is looking to build its own urban winery in south east London, joining the likes of London Cru and Renegade.

The wine is canned in a facility north of London, but will be brought in-house next year “for more control,” they told db.

They continued: “We add CO₂, which is a common method in lightly sparking wines such as a Vinho Verde. This way we can freshen up the wine without making it overly fizzy or sweet which is often the case with traditional or charmat method wines such as Champagne and Prosecco. It also allows us to work within the tolerances of the can and be much more creative with the wines we make. We will be canning still wines next year also”.

The brand is also driven by a desire to be sustainable and is re-purposing wine corks into labels and using recyclable cans.

Enlisting the help of Spanish illustrator Yido to design the cans, Thraves and Connell have achieved an exclusive listing in Selfridges where the 11.5% ABV sparkler retails for £4.99 per 250ml.