Wine in cans: Two Washington wine producers are hoping to take advantage of growth in market trend.

By Charles Leininger
Publisher

Imagine taking a date to the park for a romantic picnic on a beautiful fall day. You’ve got the blanket that you’re going to spread on the grass and a picnic basket that contains cheese, grapes, a bottle of wine, a cork-screw bottle opener and two wine glasses.

But wait. Now you can take a date on a picnic in the park without having to fiddle with opening that bottle of wine because two Washington wine producers are now making wine in cans. Wine in cans? Yes, you heard right. Cascadian Outfitters, a division of Goose Ridge Winery (Richland, WA) and Precept Wine of Seattle, are making wine in cans to make it easier to take wine on picnics, camping trips, backpacking trips, floating a river, etc.

Cascadian Outfitters sells three kinds of canned wine – A Syrah based Rosé, a Chardonnay and a red blend. All three wines are sold in six packs and sell for $30 per pack. They also sell a variety six pack for the same price.

If you are wondering if wine tastes different in a can than in a bottle, the answer is no, according to Taylor Monson, Pacific Northwest Sales Manager for Cascadian Outfitters. “Aluminum has no effect on the taste, or age, of wine, “says Monson. “It’s just like drinking wine out of a glass bottle.”

Monson explains that the wine Cascadian Outfitters sells in cans is made from the same high-quality Estate grapes that are used in Goose Ridge Winery’s bottled wines. All of the grapes used in Goose Ridge’s five wine labels – Goose Ridge Estate, g3, Tall Sage, Stonecap and Cascadian Outfitters – come from the company’s 2,200-acre estate vineyard, which is located on a gently sloped site near Benton City, 
WA., and adjacent to the famed Red Mountain AVA.

You can purchase six-packs of Cascadian Outfitters wine, as well as all of Goose Ridge Winery’s bottled wines, at all four of Goose Ridge’s tasting rooms in the State of Washington – in Richland, Woodinville, Leavenworth and Walla Walla. You can also purchase six-packs online by logging on to: www.gooseridge.com/shop/cascadian-outfitters.

Goose Ridge Winery’s Corporate Offices and production facility are located at 63615 E. Jacobs Road, Benton City, WA. Phone: (509) 627-6249.  You can find exact locations and phone numbers for all four Goose Ridge tasting rooms at: www.gooseridge.com.

The other Washington wine company producing wine in cans is Precept Wine of Seattle. On May 2nd of 2017, Precept began selling its House Wine brand in cans nationwide. The cans feature two of the brand’s best-selling varietals – Original Red Blend and Chardonnay – and the third is a House Wine Rosé.

The House Wine brand was launched in 2004 as one of Charles Smith’s first commercial offerings in traditional wine bottles. In 2013, Precept was among the first to launch its House Wine brand in a three-liter box. Cans are the latest effort to allow people to enjoy their favorite wine in a new way.

In late fall of 2017, Precept added another variety to its wine in cans lineup called House Wine Rosé Bubbles to offer wine enthusiasts a sparkling wine with which to celebrate the holidays. Then in January of 2018, Precept began selling two other House Wine favorites nationwide in 375 mi. cans – Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

“House Wine is already known as a national favorite for quality and value,” explains winemaker Hal Landvoigt. “It’s now as universally recognized as a stop sign. I travel the world looking for great fruit to make an unpretentious style of wine that can be enjoyed anywhere, which is what I love about House Wine – it’s a wine for anyone, anytime, and can be enjoyed any place.”

According to Landvoigt, cans guarantee fresh wine and cater to the grab-and-go lifestyle of active wine consumers, making them perfect for beachside picnics, tailgates or venues where glass may not be desirable, like stadiums or pool-side.

According to the Nielsen ratings company, one in five consumers have tried canned wine. Since its debut in May, 2017, Precept has sold more than 3 million cans of House Wine nationwide.

All varieties of House Wine’s canned wines sell for $5.49 per can and $66 per 24-pack case.

Precept Wine is the largest, privately-held wine producer in the Pacific Northwest and Top 14 American wine producer. With deep roots representing close to 40 years of Northwest investments in the wine industry, it owns and maintains more than 5,000 acres of vineyards across Washington, Idaho, New Mexico and Oregon and owns leading wineries and brands such as House Wine, Gruet, Browne Family Vineyards, Canoe Ridge Vineyard, Waterbrook, Primarius, Ste. Chapelle and Pendulum. Founded in 2003, the company’s wineries have garnered more than 600 combined best buys and critical scores exceeding 90 points.

For more information about Precept Wine, visit: www.preceptwine.com. The company is located at 1910 E. Fairview Ave., Suite 400, Seattle, WA. 98102. Phone: (206) 267-5252.

Whether or not wine in cans will ever gain a major share of the global wine market, there are several benefits of buying wine in cans: No glassware is needed; cans are lightweight; they are portable and packable; they don’t break when you drop them; and they are recyclable.

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you have tasted wine in cans, please let me know what brand you have tasted and what you think of it by e-mailing me at: chuck@discoverwashingtonwine.com.

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