Canned wine sales up 43% in America

Sales of canned wine are soaring in the US, with year-on-year sales currently up 43% as consumers become more open-minded to alternative packaging for wine.

The Infinite Monkey Theorem’s striking sparkling Black Muscat in a can

As reported by Forbes, boxed wine is also enjoying its moment in the sun in the US, with sales up 7% on last year, while the overall wine sales at retail in the US are flat at $3.3 billion.

Forbes reports that wine has been packaged in cans in the US as far back as 1936, but the packaging has only taken off with any momentum in the last decade and its growth has rapidly accelerated in the last few years.

Among the recent success stories of canned wine in the US is Tinto Amorio, a low-calorie sparkling red wine cocktail with lemon.

The drink is the brainchild of young entrepreneur Anish Patel, who took his inspiration from the Spanish wine cocktail ‘Tinto de Verano’, which blends red wine and lemonade.

Having launched under a year ago, Tinto Amorio is a best-seller at California supermarket Pavilions and is soon to be rolled out on over 300 Albertsons’ affiliated stores.

One of the first wineries to champion canned wine in the US was urban winery The Infinite Monkey Theorem in Denver, which sells sparkling Black Muscat in a 250ml can emblazoned with the brand’s eye-catching monkey logo.

In 2013 Oregon-based producer Union Wine Company caused a stir when it released a Pinot Noir in a 12-ounce can to try and encourage the “beerification” of wine among consumers.

A year prior Accolade Wines launched a range of sparkling wine-based drinks in a can called The Sparkling Collection, sold under the Hardys, Banrock Station and Stone’s brands.

The trend has taken longer to hit the UK, but this May new drinks brand The Uncommon released the first English wine in a can – a lightly sparkling Bacchus using grapes grown in Surrey.

The can format is proving popular among millennials as they can be taken to picnics, concerts and festivals, and enjoyed on the go.