A decade ago all focus on wine packaging innovation had zeroed in on lightweighting and “smarter” glass shaped bottles. Now, alternative packaging materials are the order of the day.
And a visit to next week’s London Wine Fair will showcase that the alternative material of the moment is aluminium – be that in can or bottle.
Canned wine sales have surged in recent years, with global sales hitting $643m in 2024. And in the UK consumer taste is growing, with major retailers listing more brands and own label offerings.
Sustainability has been a key driver with canned wines serving great purpose thanks to its recyclability, lighter weight and the knock-on effects up the supply chain.
Yet there is more driving the supplier thirst for a canned proposition than just this. I spoke to three companies exhibiting next week – from start-ups to an industry stalwart – to get a taste of the canned market.
Hatch Mansfield – big brand engagement
Hatch Mansfield holds sustainability as a core value – having this year achieved B-Corp status and is fully invested in working with producer partners who share these values. One example is New Zealand wine brand Villa Maria. Since early 2024 it moved the packing of the majority of its wines from New Zealand to the UK significantly reducing the amount of glass being transported.
To build on this further, Hatch Mansfield has just launched Villa Maria’s Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc in 200ml cans, also packed in the UK. The product is now on shelf in Morrisons, Sainsburys and Tesco.
Dave Roper, Group Winemaker at Villa Maria says the three strategic drivers behind taking Villa Maria to can were: “convenience, sustainability, and most importantly, uncompromising quality”.
Roper says: “The cans are lighter, infinitely recyclable, and have a lower carbon footprint than glass. We are proud to have produced them in partnership with Ardagh Group, a global leader in sustainable wine packaging.”
The wine making team undertook a six-month sensory trial comparing the wine between the bottle and can versions and ensuring the corrosion-resistant liner in can would prevent interaction between the wine and aluminium.
Canned Wine Group – driving quality and variety
The Canned Wine Group was formed in 2019 by Simon Rollings and Ben Franks. While the sustainable packaging issue is important, Franks says the opportunity to deliver greater quality and diversity of wines into can is what drove their imaginations.
“Our big star is the Grüner varietal. We love it and have worked with Marcus Huber, who's one of the best wine makers of Grüner in Austria,” he says. “The style, even though it's changing every year is by far our best seller.”
He has ambitions to push the envelope further in terms of quality. “There's innovation, where I'd love to put wine in cans that, by rights, should never be put in a can! I get very excited by that.
“Already we have a 2016 Old Vine Garnacha that we canned in 2020. It had about three years of oak aging before it went into can. We tasted that earlier this year and it still tastes amazing, four years later in can.”
At this year’s Fair, Canned Wine Group will be showcasing an expanded range of their Copper Crew brand, which they purchased back in 2023 – this will include the first showing of their Rosė and Spritz varietals in key keg.
Vinca – demystifying wine and going to 750ml
Vinca has been one of the big stories in canned wine in the last two years, scoring listings in several key retailers, since going into partnership with Buckingham Schenk in 2023.
Co-founder Charlie Vass says that canned packaging was a logical choice for him and his fellow founders, in a category that still challenges many consumers.
“When we created Vinca, it was really important for us to do something that was both sustainable but also made wine more accessible and convenient,” he says.
“We always wanted to demystify wine. I think that the wine industry is somewhat reluctant to change – and while there's parts of that that should be celebrated and held on to, I think that it's undeniable that younger audiences aren't engaging with wine at the scale that they need to, for it to have a commercially sustainable future.”
Now Vinca has taken aluminium packaging to the next level, launching into 750ml bottle format. Both the Organic Catarratto and the Organic Syrah & Nero D’avola, will be showcased at the Fair.
Already on sale in Tesco, Vass explains. “Producing the bottle uses four times less CO₂ than glass – and each one weighs 68g empty, compared with an average of 450g for a glass wine bottle. Their shape also means smaller cases for transporting, so 40% more wine bottles fit in each shipping container.”
See The Canned Wine Group and Vinca at LWF 2025.
