From Kegs to Bottles to Cans: The Evolution of Wine

cansI am not much of a beer drinker, and when I do drink beer, it’s almost always at a Japanese restaurant and drawn out of a tap.

I rarely drink beer out of a bottle, and almost never drink it out of a can. And since I’ve pretty much eliminated soft drinks from my diet, I don’t drink much of anything out of a can.

That may be changing, however, as one of the hot trends of the past few years has been the delivery of my favorite adult beverage — wine — in cans.

And here’s what may come as a surprise: Some of the canned wines now being produced are quite good.

In some cases, wineries have been adding cans to their packaging options, complementing the traditional bottles. In other cases, the only way you can obtain certain wines is in a can; the makers are, ahem, canning bottles altogether.

The benefits are numerous, beginning with convenience. When wine is packaged in a can, it becomes a single-serving option for people reluctant to invest in an entire bottle that they may or may not finish.

Cans also make a great option for those interested in sustainability; they’re easy to recycle.

And here’s something I think we all can agree upon: Wouldn’t a well-made wine in a can make a great alternative to the cheap “house wines” served at so many restaurants and lounges?

As has been true through most of wine history, Europe was ahead of the curve when it came to canned wine. Estates across the pond have been packaging wine in cans for decades.

But it’s now catching on big-time in America, and I like to think that we have Danny DeVito to thank for it. In a 2009 episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” the DeVito character (Frank) poured red wine into a can so nobody would know he was drinking something a little bit stronger than soda.

For me, there’s yet another benefit associated with canned wine: I’ll finally be able to use the Bob Seger koozies presently displayed with my CD collection.

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