Union Wine Co. - "Underwood" pinot noir [Oregon]

Well, it's sunk to this. Wine in a can.

Just kidding. Actually, I'm surprised we don't see more wine in cans. Cans provide the same benefits to wine as they do to beer - opaque aluminum blocks harmful light, cans are not prone to shattering like glass, the pop top seals in freshness better than corks or caps, and they are of course more portable than glass bottles and work great for camping or sporting events. So it makes sense that this is a viable option, and it's a trend we may see more of down the line.

And I admit, like the beer drinkers of old who equated canned beer with cheap beer, I have wondered to myself just how good wine-in-a-can could be. I've seen this numerous times in stores, and for science purposes, I figured I'd give it a try. It's Union Wine Co.'s "Underwood" pinot noir from the Willamette Valley, Oregon.

Aiming to produce affordable, easy-drinking wines, Union eschews the overly-fancy and fussy tendencies of some wineries. According to founder and CEO Ryan Harms, the winery was founded to "successfully [create] the marriage of craft and small-scale manufacturing" while also emphasizing decent wine over complex convention. This wine, along with a half-dozen others in the Underwood line, are rather affordable at $5.99 for a 375mL can. The winery also sells them for $25 for a four-pack, which equates to about $12 per traditional-sized 750mL bottle.

OK, let's try this out. The can emits a really strong carbonated "pop!" when opened, which is generally unusual for red wine and an interesting development.

Very light strawberry red in the glass, throwing a bright soft nose of berry. There's also lots of bubbles, I mean, way more than any other wine aside from a sparking white. So this suggests to me some sort of additive carbonation.

Initially, there's a burst of soft, sugary notes and flavors of fruit (like cherry). The carbonation I detected earlier is there, but isn't very pronounced - just a tiny bit of effervescence, which is cool. Cherry is the dominant flavor throughout the wine, and there's a slightly cassis flavor on the finish. Quite tasty, and also rather easy-drinking. I like it!

If you see this on the shelf, don't expect some scummy "Two Buck Chuck"-style swill. While it isn't as elegant as a fancy bottle with a pretty label, it's really about having a decent Oregon pinot in a super convenient can. The brightness and fruit flavor of the wine goes well with hot beach weather, or with trail grub after a hike in the woods. My brother Dan and I should have grabbed a few of these when were were hiking in the Olympic Range a few years back!