Right Now Canned Wine Takes Aim At Millennial Wine Market

Can creative cans capture wine consumer consideration?

Canned Wine Growth Explodes

Canned wine is no longer a fad. In fact, it is a $45 million segment of the wine and spirits industry. In the period of June 2017 to June 2018, the sales of canned wine increased 43%. One group with whom wine in cans is resonating is Millennials, who like the single serve and the environmentally friendly aspects of the packaging.

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All told, there are approximately 370 billion aluminum cans used for beverages annually. In the not too distant past, beer drinkers would avoid aluminum cans in favor of bottles to avoid the metallic taste. Those days are long gone with the advent of interior can liners, typically made of plastic. In craft beer crazy North Carolina, most of the beer is being packaged in cans.

We recently received a quartet of canned wine from Right Now. Right Now is the brainchild of winemaker Olga Crawford, a Master of Wine.

Should You Drink This Wine “Right Now?”

Canned wine is really all about the setting. If you are sitting at a candlelit dinner celebrating your wedding anniversary, I wouldn’t suggest opening two cans of wine. However, if you are filling the cooler for a camping trip, tailgate party or a picnic – by all means, these are ideal.

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We sampled four Right Now wines: Alpine Stream White, Red No. 8, Shimmer and Dry Rosé. The cans are attractively designed, with bold botanical graphics.

• Alpine Stream White is a Rhône inspired white with a blend of 85% Pinot Gris, 10% Viognier, 3% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Vermentino. It is 12.5% alcohol and tasted pleasant but not memorable. On a hot patio in July, it might be just the ticket.
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• The Right Now Rosé is a California blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, and Barbera. This is a nice, light rosé and packaged perfectly to pack for your next outing. With an ABV of less than 12%, it should pair well with light picnic foods.
• Red No. 8 is a blend based on Lodi Zinfandel with 63% Zinfandel, 25%Petit Verdot, 10% Merlot, 3% Petite Sirah. This is a nice mix of grapes with a fruit forward flavor and minimal tannins.
• Shimmer is a frizzante style rosé from a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and other assorted grapes. This was the sweetest of the wines we tried and not a good match for our palates. We can see this being quite popular out in the boat this summer.
• Right Now also offers Red No. 6, which is 100% Dolcetto. That sounds like an interesting wine.

Enjoy Whenever And Wherever

To be upfront about it. I prefer drinking bottled wine. The whole process of uncorking (or yes, unscrewing) a bottle and pouring it into a nice glass appeals to me. I also like the visual aspect of wine – something that you miss gazing at an opaque can. If you are drinking out of a can, you can’t enjoy the bouquet of the wine.

When I worked at my first newspaper, my boss wrote a column called The Old Curmudgeon. I have to be careful not to become one myself. Right Now wines aren’t targeted to the tuxedo and crystal goblet crowd, their professed goal is to “make sure that you can have great wine whenever and wherever you want it.”

At about $24 per four-pack of 12 oz. cans, Right Now makes it easy to venture to locations where glass bottles are a no-no. Right Now is a good pick to explore the trending phenomenon of canned wine.

Full Disclosure: We received this wine as a marketing sample.

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