Pécharmant – The Best Alternative to Bordeaux Wine
With a rich history spanning centuries, the Pécharmant region is renowned for producing some of the most distinctive wines in France. Nestled in the Dordogne Valley, Pécharmant’s unique terroir gives birth to robust red wines that are as enigmatic as the region itself. But amidst this wine-rich land, one name stands out – Château Beauportail. […]
Crab Island: The Global Ambitions of a Rum Made in Vieques
The Vieques distillery is keen on introducing the quality of its product worldwide, starting with establishing a presence at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
April 25, 2024 – 11:00 PM
Comenzó a operar en el 2020 y destila entre 50 y 60 galones por día.
Marathon Runner Consumes 25 Glasses of Wine During London Marathon: Addresses Exhaustion Afterwards
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He crossed the finish wine.
A wine merchant raised the bar for boozers and runners alike after blind tasting 25 glasses of vino during the London marathon — nearly one for each mile. The som-mile-ier’s running performance currently boasts 3.9 million views on TikTok.
“I was totally exhausted, totally cooked, but it was just such a great day,” Tom Gilbey, who runs wine businesses, told the Guardian of his grape accomplishment.
Identified as the “wine guy” on TikTok, this Briton is often seen conducting sundry wine taste tests and providing tips on getting the most bang for your buck with wines.
In a recent act of gutsy determination, this wine connoisseur chose to run the London marathon with the aim of raising $2,487 for Sobell House hospice charity in Oxford that served his mother in her last days. The campaign has already surpassed expectations by amassing more than $16,000.
Embracing an additional dare, this enthusiast decided to taste a glass of wine at the end of each mile, attempting to identify its type, source country and year of production.
“Shiraz, Australia, 2022”, he accurately guessed after sipping from one of the glasses that were handed over to him at regular intervals, similar to water in a marathon run.
Out of the total 25 glasses, it was reported that he correctly identified seven 100%, got four completely incorrect, and for the rest, he was mostly accurate (meaning he may have missed one criterion).
This accomplishment was particularly notable considering the samples varied from gas station selections to costly $50 bottles of Barolo.
It was reported that Gilbey completed the race in four hours and 41 minutes, including the wine breaks, and he toasted his success by enjoying a glass of champagne after crossing the finish line.
Interestingly, the British participant found the wine tastings interspersed throughout the 26-mile-plus race made the journey feel less prolonged.
“It was hilarious because when you’re overtaken by a fridge and double-humped camel, you could get really depressed unless you knew there was a nice wine around the corner with some friendly faces to support you,” he declared.
Despite boozing while cruising, Gilbey claimed that the agony of running made him feel nothing but the “urge to finish,” joking that it was a “great way to stay sober.”
Nonetheless, the grape enthusiast said he purposefully avoided downing all the offerings in order to avoid passing out mid-race, explaining: “If they were good, I might swallow it and if they were bad, they went on the road.”
Needless to say, TikTok viewers were impressed by his literal drinking marathon.
“This man drank 26 different wines & still managed a sub 5 marathon. Let that sink in,” gushed one fan.
Another wrote, “Being a marathon runner AND a sommelier are two of the most pretentious hobbies but I absolutely love this guy.”
“All the back labels said they’d pair wonderfully with some cheese or gentle marathon,” quipped a third.
Ultimately, Gilbey is glad he could get sauced for a good cause.
“It’s just incredible and it’s great because that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “It’s for a great charity and they’re one of many hospices that just work their socks off to make massive differences.”
While the runner claims he’d “100%” never partake in such a challenge again, he encourages “everybody to have a silly idea for a good cause and see what happens.”
Gilbey’s booze run might be impressive, but it pales in comparison to this Chinese grandpa, who ran 26.2 miles in just 3.5 hours while smoking cigarettes.
WhistlePig Unveils Its Oldest Whiskey Yet: A 25-Year-Old Single Malt
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The name WhistlePig has become practically synonymous with rye whiskey, as the Vermont-based distillery has taken control of the premium space in that category over the past decade. But WhistlePig has branched out a bit, venturing into single malt whiskey last year with the launch of the Beholden. Now the brand has upped the ante on age (and cost) with the release of a new 25-year-old single malt called, in a cringingly dad joke style with lots of stylized punctuation, the Badönkådonk.
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The Beholden was a 21-year-old whiskey distilled at “the first single malt distillery in Canada,” which very likely means Glenora in Cape Breton although that is unconfirmed. I enjoyed that whiskey very much, even if the $800 price tag felt a bit excessive. According to a rep for the brand, The Badonkadonk was distilled at the same distillery and aged for a quarter century in new American oak barrels. The whiskey was then brought to Vermont in 2020 for further maturation in Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon barrels, and ultimately released as a single barrel expression. That means the whiskey may differ depending upon which barrel your bottle comes from, but official tasting notes describe “stone fruits, cedar wood, and a hint of discord” on the palate. Discord aside, that description rings true, with a decent amount of spice, tannic oak, dried fruit, and just a whiff of wood smoke along for the ride.
“Our single malts stand apart not only for age, but also maturation in the world’s best barrels,” said WhistlePig head blender Meghan Ireland in a statement. “After finishing The Beholden in our own well-aged rye barrels (with a wink), we set our sights on the best of California wine country. Known for their superstar Cabernets aged exclusively in American oak barrels, Silver Oak is the perfect partner to push boundaries with.” And for some reason WhistlePig recruited Monty Python cofounder and comedy legend John Cleese to promote the new whiskey by creating a video and penning a statement that plays on his love for scotch whisky. “I thought it was rather cheeky when I learned that some colonials were trying to ape the scotches that have from the beginning of time been crafted in Scotchland,” he said. “BUT… when I tasted it… MY WHOLE WORLD CHANGED!! My very DNA was instantly revised, my taste buds DANCED THE BAGPIPE, and I instantly became SPIRITUALLY ADVANCED.”
If you’d like to seek out some whiskey enlightenment for yourself, this bottle is going to cost you—it’s listed at $2,000, but will likely go for much more than that based on the prices currently listed for the Beholden at websites like Flaviar. Fortunately, you can find it for its listed price at the WhistlePig website now, but only while these limited supplies last.
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Decoding the Best Beers for Spicy Foods: IPAs, Hazy, Kolsch or Stouts?
I confess, I was raised on bland meals and never nurtured a fondness for spicy food. Despite this, my spouse, kids, and companions, who enjoy spice in numerous forms, delight in provoking me to sample various dishes, usually assuring me with “It’s not excessively hot! You’ll manage.” However, I never actually do.
In my childhood, when I dared to try spiced dishes, my mother used to hand me a glass of milk to alleviate the burn I felt. I never understood why, but it seemed to do the trick. Thankfully, I found the same relief in certain beers. The right brew not only enables me to bear spicy meals but also almost savor the ordeal. And for those who already delight in the heat delivered by chili peppers, this combination is absolute perfection.
Whether you’re a spicy food veteran or a timid beginner, here are some recommendations for coupling beer with spicy meals while keeping your sanity (and hopefully without crying).
Here’s a daring suggestion: I don’t believe IPAs pair well with spicy meals. While numerous beer aficionados argue that IPAs go well with spicy dishes, they only heighten the sensation of heat. The elevated alpha acids in hops, notably prolific in IPAs, can mix with capsaicin (the active component that gives chile peppers their spiciness), forming a vicious cycle that intensifies the heat. Whether it’s the heat from habaneros or some other source, a hop-dominant beer only amplifies the spiciness.
Indeed, a cold drink provides temporary relief from the heat of spicy food. However, as your mouth warms up, the spiciness returns. This is because capsaicin, the molecule responsible for spicy heat, does not dilute in water, and beer is mostly water. Capsaicin is neutralized by fats and alcohol, explaining why milk is often recommended.
For a lasting solution, you can consider several strategies. It’s worthwhile to note that spiciness is not a flavor but a sensation, although it can combine with various flavors. Therefore, try to either pair strong with strong where suitable, or balance matching or similar tastes. Additionally, think about how sweetness or fizziness can influence the pairing.
In my experience, malt-rich and sweet beers counterbalance spiciness quite well. Therefore, I find Märzen, amber lagers, or Vienna lagers superior to IPAs. Their sweetness doesn’t conflict with the potent flavors and provides a lasting sweetness layer in your mouth.
I’d suggest pairing foods with smoky chili like chipotle or ancho with a stout, preferably one with chocolate undertones. Generally, stouts go well with hot foods. Oatmeal stouts and sweet/milk stouts are especially fitting. Oatmeal stouts derive their smoothness from the oats used in their brewing, while sweet or milk stouts are brewed with malt sugars or lactose. While not traditional milk, it neutralizes spiciness much the same. For complementing smokiness, opt for a roasted malt beer such as a brown ale.
Dark beer varieties such as black lagers, schwarzbiers, and dunkels are perfect complements to spicy dishes for several reasons, with Death and Taxes, a San Francisco-style black lager from Moonlight Brewing, being perhaps the most well-suited among them. Notably, many of such beers bear caramel undertones that further elevate their compatibility with spicy food.
Beers with high residual sugar content, including Belgian specialty ales, saisons, barley wines, and lambics, effectively neutralize the heat of capsaicins. Hazy IPAs with low bitterness also serve the same purpose.
Alternatively, some recommend countering spicy flavors with carbonated drinks. Some researchers argue that the bubbles might stimulate more pain sensors, potentially worsening the burning sensation depending on your tolerance and the spiciness of your food. However, I find bubbly drinks rather helpful in dealing with spice. If you would like to test this hypothesis, try out a Kölsch, saison, witbier, hefeweizen, biere de garde, tripel, or sparkling ale.
The art of pairing beer and food typically abides by universally accepted guidelines. However, pairing spicy food with beverages is a unique case. Some people find appeal in spicy food precisely because of the burning sensation it elicits. Thus, feel free to experiment and discover the combination that suits your preferences. If you relish the spicy thrill, opt for an IPA.
Discover America’s Rapidly Rising Canned Cocktail: Not a Seltzer but a Famed Brand of Iced Tea Vodka and Lemonades
The popular brand of iced tea+vodka introduces five new flavors for summer.
It’s hardly news that ready-to-drink cocktails are all the rage. Indeed, we’ve been reporting on the trend for 5 years now. But the novel story these days is the dynamic shift within the overarching RTD category, which comprises both malt-based and spirit-based offerings. In short, the latter is growing at a far faster rate than the former. And Surfside is a brand riding these economic waters to great success.
A category leader in iced tea and lemonade-vodka RTDs, the two-year-old label is celebrating its national expansion with five new summer-friendly flavors: Raspberry Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Black Cherry Lemonade, Raspberry Iced Tea and Green Tea. The fruit-forward additions join a wide stable of offerings that are all canned at 4.5% ABV, and typically retail for around $11 per 4-pack.
The independent producer behind the launch began life as part of Stateside Vodka, a Philadelphia-based distillery and cocktail lounge that still thrives in the city today. Initially the founders were canning an unflavored vodka-soda, but were compelled by acute demand for something non-sparkling.
“We realized there was a hole to fill in the RTD category,” recalls Clement Pappas, CEO of Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka. “When we were originally creating Surfside, we knew it had to taste great, be 100 calories or less and have no bubbles. Carbonated drinks can be filling and cause bloat. We also see today’s drinkers gravitate toward tasty alternatives to beer.”
Clement Pappas, CEO of Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka
Pappas’ team spent more than a year developing the taste formula. Indeed, it holds 100 calories, 2 grams of sugar and zero bubbles per 12-ounce can. It quickly emerged as a category leader, in part, because when it arrived on shelves in early 2022, there simply weren’t a lot of spirit-based hard teas and lemonades in the category. Yet the thirst was clearly there.
“We thought Surfside was a good idea or we wouldn’t have done it, but we didn’t predict just how much the brand would take off,” adds Pappas. “We grew 563% in just our second year on the market, from about 200,000 cases in 2022 to 1.3 million cases in 2023. It’s been a rocket ship of growth for us.”
Indeed, the canned cocktail segment has seen significant growth recently. While malt-based ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails still dominate the US market in terms of volume, spirit-based RTDs are gaining ground, despite the challenges of nationwide distribution.
Based on the latest economic analysis from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, spirit-based RTDs held a 16% share of the total category at the end of 2023 compared to 8% in 2021. This trend suggests that today’s consumers are increasingly valuing the sophisticated elegance of alcohol-based cocktails. The expansion of Surfside further offers enthusiasts a choice of at least five more refreshing alternatives for this summer.
New additions to the Surfside range include canned iced tea and lemonade-vodka RTD cocktails.
Reviving Native Hawaiian Sugarcane: How a Scientist and Distilleries are Collaborating for Conservation
Sugarcane biodiversity disappeared as big plantations dominated the sugar trade in Hawaii, but now native varieties are making a comeback
Noa Kekuewa Lincoln remembers when he first encountered native Hawaiian sugarcane in 2004. The fresh stalks, bursting with color, might have sprouted from Willy Wonka’s imagination, not the soil.
Lincoln, a kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) expert in Indigenous cropping systems and an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii, said: “I grew up seeing grayish-green cane fields. But these canes are fluorescent pink, bright apple-green striped. They looked like huge cartoon candy canes. They almost don’t look real!”
Then working at the Amy BH Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden on the Big Island of Hawaii, he saw the multicolored stalks growing, mysteriously and simply labeled “Hawaiian sugarcane”. That chance moment took Lincoln on a 20-year detour into researching Hawaii’s heirloom sugarcane varieties, neglected after centuries of plantation monoculture. Lincoln set out to identify them and “treat them like the individuals they are”.
He likens his research method to traditional navigation, “where you’re triangulating your position” in relation to known points. He interviews kupuna, or elders, in the Hawaiian community; dives into digitized archives of newspapers dating back to the 1830s; and culls information from stories, traditional medicines and chants.
A chant can offer information about how a sugarcane variety looks, where and how it grows, and its role in the ecosystem. A 19th-century chant celebrating a dignitary’s visit to Ni’ihau island is one example: “My love returns to Ni’ihau / To the hidden waters of the pao’o fish / To the breadfruit that blossoms on the flats / The sugar cane of Halali’i dug out by hand.” It gives a location (Hawaii’s westernmost island), a name for the cane variety (Halali’i) dominant there, a tip on tending the plant and its proximity to breadfruit.
Lincoln marries these sources with modern tools like DNA analysis to see relationships between varieties of sugarcane. “For cane, some of the interpretations of the chants [and oral histories] only become clear when we are out in the field doing work and observe something that helps with the interpretation. It is very rarely just one line of knowledge that helps us understand, but multiple lines of knowledge intersect,” he said.
In one case, an elder said that a particular variety of sugarcane “called” dew from the north. Lincoln only grasped the full meaning of that statement when working with sugarcane in Kona. There, he realized that the crop cast tall shadows that preserved dew on the north side of its rows. And that substantially elevated soil moisture.
Through this research, he’s uncovered 25 Hawaiian sugarcane, or kō, varieties. Halali‘i is one such variety. The name means “little hala”, or pandanus, a tree ubiquitous in the islands. Growing on windy Ni’ihau island, this sugarcane variety is frequently buried in sand so that only its top shows, resembling a small hala tree. Its other names mark how its leaves resemble sea lettuce, an edible green alga.
Many Hawaiian sugarcane varieties also share names with native fish. If the cane and the fish share similar striations or some other commonality, Hawaiians gave them the shared moniker. The black sturgeonfish, common in Hawaiian reefs, and dark purple-black canes found on Kauai are both māikoiko. maka’ā means “glowing eye” and refers to the flagtail tilefish. It possesses bright blue eyes and gray-green stripes, like an extinct sugarcane with similar gray-green stripes.
Sugarcane was originally domesticated in New Guinea around 8000 BC and brought to Hawaii as one of Polynesian voyagers’ original “canoe plants”, critical species that form the core of Hawaiian agriculture and foodways. The ancient islanders put sugarcane to various uses. Sugarcane windbreaks decrease wind damage to root crops and maintain soil moisture. Native canes provide mulch and attract nitrogen and nutrients into the soil. With those natural enhancements, Hawaiians were able to grow bigger and better sweet potatoes and taro alongside sugarcane, which itself adapted into new varieties suited to its new environs.
Though Native Hawaiians introduced sugarcane to the islands nearly a millennium before Europeans arrived, that fact often gets overshadowed in histories that focus on the impact and influence of sugarcane plantations that dominated the islands from the early 1800s onward.
Lincoln suspects that there are even more varieties, as his lab has uncovered about 80 names of traditional Hawaiian types. However, his team struggles to connect all of them to existing plants due to the colonial obliteration of both traditional knowledge and crops. By the 1840s, sugar had become a major industry in Hawaii, and an 1875 treaty allowed Hawaii to sell sugar to the United States tax-free and duty-free, ensuring substantial profits and power for its planter class.
Today, Lincoln collaborates with a businessman who used to work in Hawaii’s once-thriving sugarcane industry. Bob Gunter, president and CEO of Kōloa Rum Company, previously worked with Amfac, which was one of Hawaii’s “big five” sugar businesses, and its Lihue plantation, an early and long-standing sugarcane operation. The plantation shut down in 2000.
According to Gunter, “Hawaii was globally famous for its exceptional sugar and the concentration of its sugar. Its production levels were unheard of in other countries. The problem was that it could not compete with countries that extensively subsidize sugar or neglect to pay their workers adequately. The playing field was not level.” Kōloa, which produces its rum from granulated cane sugar, had bought tons of the ingredient from Hawaii’s plantations as they announced their closures. However, the rum maker eventually had no other choice but to source sugar from east Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.
A budding industry is now aiding in the revival of native sugarcane. Agricole rum is distilled from freshly pressed sugarcane juice, rather than molasses or granulated sugar. Kōloa and two other producers, Kuleana Rum Works and Kō Hana, conferred with Lincoln and now cultivate about 40 types of sugarcane that existed prior to western contact. Kuleana has been bottling and selling agricole rum since 2009, and Kō Hana, which began as a farm in 2009, launched its first agricole-style rum in 2014.
Gunter’s company plans to make rum from these heirloom canes, but production was delayed by the pandemic. “We’re preserving it, keeping a bank of sugarcane varieties, to perpetuate them, making sure we don’t lose them,” he said. “We’re currently at four acres and expanding to 10 to 12 acres of native cane.”
Lincoln attributes this renewed interest in kō to two movements: a larger one to reclaim Native Hawaiian identity, culture and cultivation practices, and the craft beverage movement, propelled by local distillers who see the use of heirloom Hawaiian canes as good marketing. “We can confidently say that more heirloom cane is being grown in Hawaii now than at any time in the past century,” he wrote in a 2022 article.
Still, Lincoln acknowledges the tension between economic and biocultural values of heirloom Hawaiian cane. On the one hand, businesses can appropriate Hawaiian knowledge and stories. Yet the fledgling rum agricole business “has provided new opportunities for preservation, dissemination and observations of the Hawaiian canes, as well as new platforms for sharing of indigenous perspectives”, he wrote in that same article. For example, when commercial producers grow large quantities of single varieties, scientists can better detect mutations within those varieties.
There is also a clear benefit to rum aficionados. Juice from heirloom sugarcanes can produce very different, fragrant rums. Lincoln said: “You wouldn’t dream of drinking a wine and not knowing what grape it came from.” Perhaps one day, more of us will sip native Hawaiian rums and taste their distinct nuances.
The Whiskey Off-Road Event Launches This Friday
On April 26, the three-day Whiskey Off-Road Mountain biking extravaganza begins. The races starts on Friday at 2 PM with the shortest race a 19.6-mile loop through the forested trails of Prescott, and is called the “15 proof”. This race is popular with some of the local middle school students and coaches. Coach Andy Binder and his daughter Jillian, an 8 grader are participating. Jillian garnered a first-place finish in the recent MBAA Prescott Punisher on April 13. Colton Devenie, a 7 grader, is also racing. Skyview School also has half a dozen students participating along with a handful of coaches. Prescott High’s Elliot McGrath is also in the race.
The Findlay Subaru Pro Crit takes place later on Friday. The women’s race is at 5:15 p.m. and the men follow at 6:10 p.m.
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Celtic Fan Arrested for Assaulting Police Officers on Flight Post Vodka Consumption
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A drunk Celtic fan punched police officers and passengers on an easyJet flight after ‘downing a bottle of vodka’.
Video footage taken onboard the plane shows a man wearing a Celtic football top angrily lunging at others on the flight from Edinburgh to Antalya, Turkey on Saturday.
It’s thought a fight broke out towards the end of the flight after another Celtic supporter called the man a ‘disgrace’ because of his drunken behaviour, reports the MailOnline.
As per a passenger, the individual had been consuming a Gold Ivy vodka bottle, later confiscated by the crew.
The video clearly shows the man, standing and leaning over the seat ahead, attempting to punch a fellow passenger and then proceeding towards the aisle to attack another individual, seemingly a Turkish police officer.
Multiple individuals, including the crew, try to hold him back, and one can even hear someone screaming in the commotion.
Other travelers, including kids, are witnessing the chaos, with some even capturing the incident.
Some parents attempt to comfort their kids, telling them ‘everything is fine, it’s alright’.
A fellow traveller described how, before the man assaulted the officer, he had been consuming a bottle of vodka he had smuggled on board. He had been trying to flirt with the women at the back of the flight near the bathrooms, while noticeably inebriated.
The witness continued, explaining how a flight attendant attempted to confiscate the vodka. The man protested, claiming he required it for ‘self-defense’.
‘As we approached the flight’s conclusion, he was incessantly loud and kept retrieving his bag from the storage compartment. The flight crew repeatedly asked him to remain seated. Finally, another Celtic fan called him out for his embarrassing behaviour.’
He attempted to combat the other fan, stated the passenger, while his companion tried to restrain him.
He aimed to hit the police when they arrived onboard after landing, he further mentioned.
The individual was removed from the flight by police and security officials which led to several passengers expressing their joy, the traveler noted.
He mentioned how his 12-year-old child was apprehensive throughout the fight and the sounds of several other children crying could be heard.
With a number of vacant seats towards the rear of the aircraft, some families relocated to distance themselves from the Celtic fan.
An easyJet spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘easyJet can confirm that police attended a flight to Antalya on April 20 on arrival due to a passenger behaving disruptively on board.
‘easyJet’s crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the passengers is not compromised at any time.
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‘Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour.
‘The safety and wellbeing of all our customers and crew is always our highest priority.’
In September last year Spanish police stormed an easyJet flight travelling from Manchester to the Canary Islands due to ‘eight violent passengers’ on board.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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Unveiling the Mystery: Why Does Canned Wine Sometimes Smell Like Rotten Eggs While Beer and Coke Don’t?
– Apr 23, 2024 10:02 pm UTC
True wine aficionados might turn up their noses, but canned wines are growing in popularity, particularly among younger crowds during the summer months, when style often takes a back seat to convenience. Yet these same wines can go bad rather quickly, taking on distinctly displeasing notes of rotten eggs or dirty socks. Scientists at Cornell University conducted a study of all the relevant compounds and came up with a few helpful tips for frustrated winemakers to keep canned wines from spoiling. The researchers outlined their findings in a recent paper published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture.
“The current generation of wine consumers coming of age now, they want a beverage that’s portable and they can bring with them to drink at a concert or take to the pool,” said Gavin Sacks, a food chemist at Cornell. “That doesn’t really describe a cork-finished, glass-packaged wine. However, it describes a can very nicely.”
According to a 2004 article in Wine & Vines magazine, canned beer first appeared in the US in 1935, and three US wineries tried to follow suit for the next three years. Those efforts failed because it proved to be unusually challenging to produce a stable canned wine. One batch was tainted by “Fresno mold“; another batch resulted in cloudy wine within just two months; and the third batch of wine had a disastrous combination of low pH and high oxygen content, causing the wine to eat tiny holes in the cans. Nonetheless, wineries sporadically kept trying to can their product over the ensuing decades, with failed attempts in the 1950s and 1970s. United and Delta Airlines briefly had a short-lived partnership with wineries for canned wine in the early 1980s, but passengers balked at the notion.
The biggest issue was the plastic coating used to line the aluminum cans. You needed the lining because the wine would otherwise chemically react with the aluminum. But the plastic liners degraded quickly, and the wine would soon reek of dirty socks or rotten eggs, thanks to high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide. The canned wines also didn’t have much longevity, with a shelf life of just six months.
Thanks to vastly improved packing processes in the early 2000s, canned wine seems to finally be finding its niche in the market, initially driven by demand in Japan and other Asian markets and expanding after 2014 to Australia, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. In the US alone, projected sales of canned wines are expected to grow from $643 million in 2024 to $3.12 billion in 2034—a compound annual growth rate of 10.5 percent.
Granted, we won’t be seeing a fine Bordeaux in a can anytime soon; most canned wine comes in the form of spritzers, wine coolers, and cheaper rosés, whites, or sparkling wines. The largest US producers are EJ Gallo, which sells Barefoot Refresh Spritzers, and Francis Ford Coppola Winery, which markets the Sofia Mini, Underwood, and Babe brands.
There are plenty of oft-cited advantages to putting wine in cans. It’s super practical for picnics, camping, summer BBQs, or days at the beach, for example, and for the weight-conscious, it helps with portion control, since you don’t have to open an entire bottle. Canned wines are also touted as having a lower carbon footprint compared to glass—although that is a tricky calculation—and the aluminum is 100 percent recyclable.
This latest research originated from a conference session spearheaded by Sacks. The goal was to assist local vineyards in enhancing their understanding of prime ways to maintain the taste, aroma, and longevity of canned wines. Canned wines are still struggling with challenges such as corrosion, seepage, and undesirable flavours, like the notorious rotten egg odor. “They stated, ‘We’re adhering to all the guidelines from the tin manufacturers and we’re still grappling with these issues, can you offer us some guidance?'” expressed Sacks. “The primary emphasis was on identifying the compounds causing the problem, what was leading to corrosion and off smells, and why were these issues prevalent in wines but not in fizzy drinks? Why doesn’t Coca-Cola face this problem?”
Navigating the Challenging Landscape of Craft Beer: Insight from the Brewers Association
Bart Watson, chief economist with the Brewers Association, delivers the annual state of the industry address at the Craft Brewers Conference.
The Brewers Association, the trade association representing America’s small and independent breweries, delivered its annual state of the industry address today. Bart Watson, chief economist with the Brewers Association, described it as a “challenging landscape.”
“There were some positives and some negatives,” said Watson during his address to thousands of brewers and industry professionals attending the annual Craft Brewers Conference, this year being held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Craft beer production was down 1%. Categories within the industry saw various levels of growth and shrinkage. Taprooms were down 2%, brewpubs were down 4%, contract and alternating proprietorship beer companies were flat, regional breweries grew by 1%, while microbreweries were down 5%. Watson noted that there were breweries within all of those categories that have different levels of success. “44% of breweries found growth last year,” said Watson in his presentation.
The sector’s number of consumers is now quite stable in terms of its growth, says Watson, indicating that the rise of individuals drinking more craft beer now matches the decline. However, Watson continues that consumers remain willing to pay for beers they highly appreciate, with close to $30 billion spent on small and independent brewing last year.
Watson also points out that alongside the lack of growth, numerous breweries struggle with their finances due to the increasing cost of goods at a rate that surpasses the increase in prices. Successful breweries often focus on operations, sometimes through collaboration and partnerships to achieve economies of scale, whilst others succeed through finding innovative methods to distribute their craft beers and associating the drink with various occasions.
Watson provides an estimate that shows “125 million Americans who drink didn’t have a craft beer last month,” implying that there are still untapped avenues for breweries to explore for growth. Addressing brewers directly, he states that “Many of your customers are fiercely loyal. Breweries that are succeeding are finding ways to have customers drink their products on more occasions”.
“Craft beer as a category has seen fads in beverage alcohol come and go,” said Watson. “But craft is here to stay.”