Glad my snobbish expectations had been shattered

“My expectation was that wine in a can could be horrible. In my thoughts’s eye I envisioned the acid in wine being an unnatural accomplice with an aluminium can,” writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER on his first tinnie of wine.  

YOU anticipate commodities comparable to cat meals to be bought in cans (by what measure is cat meals bought? Purr can). 

My expectation was that wine in a can could be horrible. In my thoughts’s eye I envisioned the acid in wine being an unnatural accomplice with an aluminium can. 

Acids corrode many various sorts of metals or put on them away by means of chemical processes. So, when searching for an acceptable wine to have at my tennis membership’s New 12 months’s Eve celebration, I shocked myself by shopping for 4 cans of Pizzini spritz rosé from Classic Cellars in Manuka at $23. That’s a litre of wine in whole. It’s a rosé based mostly on sangiovese. Additionally accessible was pinot grigio with a spritz and prosecco. 

What the heck, I assumed, give it a go. It’s a brand new yr and new experiences must be embraced. Plus Pizzini is considered one of my favorite winemakers. Halliday charges Pizzini as a five-star vineyard. I very very similar to the Pietra Rossa King Valley sangiovese, a wine not presently directed to the canned market.

The night time of consumption was organised round tennis from 10pm and ending the yr with drinks and snacks after play. I introduced some cheese and a few dips and the cans of wine had been in a chiller bag. I gave a can to a mate to strive.

“Nice, its not candy and it’s a refreshing drink after working round. Significantly better than these pre-mixed drinks in a can which are sometimes sugar hits,” he stated.

“Yep,” I stated, “context is all the things.” 

The rosé had fairly a chew at 9.8 per cent alcohol by quantity. It had a very good, clear end. I used to be shocked and glad that my considerably snobbish expectations had been shattered. 

I referred to as Pizzini wines and spoke with Natalie Pizzini, who’s a director of the corporate. She advised me that that they had determined to market wine in a can in February 2020 simply after the bushfire disaster and heading into covid.

“We may see a development beginning abroad the place wine individuals had been taking a look at options to 750ml bottles,” she stated.

“On the similar time, Coles had been additionally taking a look at a chance of selling wine in a can. 

“We determined that we’d entice a brand new client, younger persons are not wedded to stereotypes. However we additionally determined that the wine wouldn’t be of lesser high quality although wine in a can is perhaps perceived as a lesser product. 

“To take a threat on this new format, you needed to have a assured gross sales channel outdoors of your personal conventional one and, with the Coles shops, progress in gross sales has continued and canned wine has been our best-selling product over the past three years. 

“A part of the success was going into covid, the place ingesting alone suited ingesting out of a can. We actually hit the market there.” 

I requested Natalie concerning the longevity of wine in a can.

“One of many causes we’re snug is the fast turnover. It’s purchased to devour within the subsequent week, you don’t let it lie for a yr earlier than you drink it,” she stated. 

“Trusting the provider of the can is essential and that’s a promise of 18  months. Every of the cans has a use-by date. We often have three canning runs in a yr. We’ll keep it up – each a part of the can and the packaging is recyclable.” 

Her last remark was that the winemaking course of was precisely the identical besides the spritz is added on the canning stage. 

I’ll strive it once more, particularly after a sport of tennis on a scorching day. 

“A beautiful present might not be wrapped as you anticipate.”
–Jonathan Lockwood Huie