It was a record January attendance at the Wine Club, with 38 members signing up to the monthly meeting! This time we took the unprecedented decision to let our members taste wine packaged in something other than a bottle. This follows the trend in convenient packaging, well established in the US and now taking off in the UK.
We are used to seeing cans of beer in the supermarkets and maybe over Christmas Santa put a can containing a cocktail mix in your stocking? You may have noticed a lot more wine in boxes and the odd can on the supermarket shelves as well? From a supplier perspective, cans and boxes (bag-in-box or BIB) can be produced more cheaply than bottles. As a consumer you may appreciate the convenience of taking cans to a picnic or one for the train home? From an environmental aspect, aluminium cans consume much less energy to produce than glass bottles and are easier to recycle – and weigh less, so cheaper to transport. And if you need to chill a wine quickly, it’s easier when you are looking at cans rather than a bottle. What did our members think….? Well, by no means scientific but no one was able to identify all six wines we served from cans over those from a bottle or box. Overall, red wine from a can was slightly better received – interesting as you might associate the crisp freshness a can offers with white wine.
So, if you’re taking wine to a festival/picnic or just coming home on the train and fancy a quick glass of wine, a can may well be the answer! We also had a look at the new generation of plastic glasses available – crystal clear, dishwasher-friendly, and virtually unbreakable – made from a new material called Tritan. A glass with a wide bottom and no stem is less likely to fall over on the picnic rug or get knocked over on the train!!!
