Over the last couple years, canned wine has become increasingly popular for a number of reasons. It is easier to take with you on outdoor adventures, more approachable than bottled wine, is more friendly for the environment than glass bottles and it can be really good! Many people are apprehensive to try a canned wine because they think it might be cheap or poorly made. Don’t get me wrong, there are options that aren’t the best, but for the most part, I have been impressed with what I have tasted.

Many producers put the same wine they bottle into cans. So, why do they taste different? It turns out the way you drink wine matters. It has been claimed that 80% of what you smell is what you taste, which is why smelling your wine is important. A can has a small opening and it is hard to pick up the aromas of the wine. When you drink from it, the wine goes straight down your tongue and misses major sensory regions. When tasting from a wine glass, you have more opportunity to smell the wine and it is exposed to more regions of your tongue.

I decided to pick up a few different brands and varietals to try them for myself. For each one, I tasted both out of the can and out of a wineglass. Here are my notes for the ones that I tried, ranked by most to least favorite.

1. Underwood Pinot Noir

This wine is simple, cheerful and not complex! I tasted notes of strawberries, cherries and oak. Out of the can, it was more tart than when I drank out of the glass, but this wine can be enjoyed out of either. It is an easy drinking, quality Oregon Pinot Noir that I would buy again.

2. Una Lou Rosé of Pinot Noir

This dainty and acidic rosé can also be enjoyed either in a wineglass or straight from the can. Out of the can there were earthy notes paired with mellow citrus flavors. When I tasted out of the glass, the citrus became more powerful and the light red fruit flavors dominated the earthy notes I noticed in the can. I will be repurchasing because this is really well made and refreshing!

3. Dark Horse Rosé Bubbles

This wine is almost as good as the Una Lou, but the bubbles were a little overwhelming. Out of the can, the bubbles bombarded my mouth and muted many of the flavors. Out of the wineglass, I was able to smell more notes of melon and roses. The bubbles also were better distributed across my tongue and made a more enjoyable experience.

4. Underwood The Bubbles

This wine also had overpowering bubbles and citrus when I tasted it out of the can. After sipping it out of the wineglass, my experience was different because I could taste and smell more flavors. I think that this sparkling is simple and super easy to bring with you to celebrate finishing a long hike! It tastes like a refreshing, sparkling lemonade.

5. Underwood Riesling Radler

When I first smelled and tasted this wine, I never would have guessed it was a Riesling. This wine actually has some malt and grain in it, so technically it is not a wine, but it still has wine in it. It has a heavier body than the previous wines and ripe, juicy tropical fruit flavors. You can taste the hops/grains, but they are not overwhelming. There is some mellow carbonation that helps compliment the flavors out of both wineglass and can. If you are into beers and want to get into wine, I would suggest trying this.

6. House Wine Rosé Bubbles

To me, this tastes like a force carbonated, strawberry daiquiri. There is a syrupy feeling on the finish and noticeable alcohol content in the chest that stifle out the fruity flavors in the wine.

While drinking wine from a can has a more casual feel than drinking out of a bottle, the can still has the capability of containing high quality wine. If you are going to try canned wine, I would highly recommend tasting out of a glass in addition to the can. You will most likely notice a change in mouthfeel and flavor. In my opinion, I also think that still wines (wines without bubbles) are much easier to enjoy out of the can because there aren’t bubbles to overwhelm your senses. It is also important to note that the contents of each can is equal to ½ of a bottle of wine! So, don’t go wild drinking a 4 pack and think you’re only having one bottle. Unless of course you want to!

Overall, I am so glad I decided to try a couple canned wines and have added these producers to my wish list!

1. SHE CAN – Some of the profit goes toward the SHE CAN Professional Development Fund, which is amazing!
2. West + Wilder
3. Maker
4. Scout & Cellar Epic Pursuit – This can is bringing awareness to the importance of bees!
5. VINNY New York Bubbly Wine
6. Tangent