Like boxed wine and canned cocktails, public perception of canned wine isn’t always favourable. Over the past few years, however, the exponentially growing category has burgeoned, with a good collection of excellent canned wines now readily available as canning technology continues to dramatically improve. Most of the world’s best craft beers are also served in cans nowadays, with water-based polymer used to line aluminium cans, removing the metallic taste.
The UK’s first producer of English sparkling wine in a can, The Uncommon has launched its new range of 2019 vintage sparkling wines, plus two English wine spritzers. Hoping to shake off uptight attitudes and conventional rules, The Uncommon was founded by friends Henry Connell and Alex Thraves, who quit their jobs with a dream of creating a modern, sustainable English wine brand, following the canned wine boom in the US. The brand’s mission is “to make the best-quality wine in the right way, with far more interest in fun and accessibility than pomp and circumstance”.
As well as being suitable for consumers hoping to drink on the move (ideal for socially distanced picnics in the park), and those hoping to drink just a glass or two, rather than an entire bottle, canned wine is far more environmentally friendly than bottled wine. With a carbon footprint that’s 80 percent lighter than glass, The Uncommon wines are only available in infinitely recyclable cans. Also committing to sustainability, every stage of The Uncommon’s production takes place in the UK, with a carbon-positive canning process. Multipacks are made using upcycled, recycled, and recyclable materials.
Specifically designed to thrive in cans, the brand’s wines use locally-grown grapes, hand-harvested within 50 miles of The Uncommon’s Peckham home, from vineyards in Surrey, Kent and Hampshire. Alongside the new English wine spritzers, 2019 vintages include a blend of Bacchus and Chardonnay (‘Gerald’), and a Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier blend rosé (‘Eleanor’). Both are vegan-friendly and low sugar, with the grapes benefitting from a cooler growing season, ultimately producing wines that are more refreshing, aromatic, and fruity.
A dry, refreshing sparkling wine, ‘Gerald’ is rampant with aromas of elderflower which continue on the palate alongside savours of pear, grass, and a whisper of gooseberry that lingers on the long, clean finish. Ideal for warm summer days.
The Uncommon English sparkling wines and spritzers are available from Selfridges, Waitrose, M&S, and online from wearetheuncommon.co.uk.
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