Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/764739
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J a n - F e b 2 017 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 1 9 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m In 2012, canned wine was only a $2 million business, and Sofia sparkling wine accounted for 90% of it. In 2016, sales have ballooned to $14 million and canned wine is gaining in popular- ity with consumers seeking a portable, single-serving wine package that's well- suited to enjoying outdoors at a barbecue, festival or pool party. GAINING MOMENTUM Underwood, made by Union Wine Co. in Ore- gon, and Infinite Monkey T h e o r e m , f r o m D e n v e r, Colo., are two companies that can good-quality table wines. Having entered into the game relatively early, they've had to ramp up pro- duction at a feverish pace. As I write this, Underwood is sold out of its sparkling and rosé canned wines. I spoke with Ben Par- sons, an English winemak- er who founded Infinite Monkey Theorem winery in 2008. His winery pro- 've been listening to early murmurs of trends to watch in the wine industry in 2017, and there's one that keeps com- ing up: wine in cans. Last week, I stopped into my local BevMo to see what kind of canned wine options there were. I had such a hard time finding them that I had to ask a clerk to point them out. She walked me over to the aisle where all of the cartons, bags and boxes of wine were thrown together and pointed out two brands. One was Flip Flop, a "fizzy crisp white" and "fizzy sangria," both in four-packs of cans, and Barefoot Refresh spritzers in white and red, also in four-packs of cans. "That sangria is really popular," the clerk told me, pointing to the Flip Flop. Having heard a lot about the growth in that category, I was kind of surprised at how limited the options were. To be sure, it's still a small category. Canned wine still only accounts for 1% of sales (even that number sounds high to me), but there were only two products on these shelves and they were both more wine cooler than table wine. I'm going to check back in a few months and I expect to see more options. Nielsen reported in July that canned wine sales in the 52-week period ending June 18, 2016, were up 125% over the previous year, and that means major wine companies will be entering the category and there will be more on the shelves soon. MARKET WATCH TIM TEICHGRAEBER + By June 2016, sales of wine in cans were up 125% over the previous year. + Canned wine is still a small niche, but there are few competitors in the sector. + The increasing availability of mobile canning lines used by small breweries creates a viable opportunity for small wineries to can some of their wine without major capital investment. + Consumers of all ages appreciate cans for their portability, single-serving size and ease of use in out- door drinking situations. AT A GLANCE Canned wine is heating up in the retail market. It's in the CAN Denver, Colo.'s, Infinite Monkey Theorem cans its high-quality wines and dry-hopped pear cider.