Wine in a can.

The sale of wine in cans in massively on the increase. Rexam (http://www.rexam.com), which is one of the world’s largest can makers, sold 6 million cans to the wine industry in 2006. That figured increased to a very respectable 35 million cans in 2008. Rexam expect sales to reach the 100 million mark in the next couple of years. A part of this trend is a can holds a single measure, so the is not worry about drink driving. The cans are also more 'enviromentaly friendly' being lighter and are easy to recycle.

This all part of a global trend that is slowly but surely being accepted by the wine industry. The only way to maintain a good growth rate for wine sales is to package it in a modern and funky way (We've even seen resealable Champange bottles), which apppeals to people who are new to wine. If you can get young consumers interested in wine, even if it is plonk in a can, you will find they are more likely to later venture into finer wines. You only need to look at packaging in the Spirits section of your local store. Not only are they diverse but they've also spun off into single measure cocktail producks, both in 33cl bottle and cans (Barcardi Breezers/Smirnoff Ice).

That said, it will be a cold day in hell before you will find me drinking wine out of a can :-)

© The Wine Connoisseur