Wine & Spirits - June 2019 - 46

SUMINMA E R
CAN
Last year's canned wine-tasting at W&S included 23 sparkling wines and spritzers; this year,
we excluded spritzers, ciders and sangrias, and still ended up with close to 80 wines, just about
equal numbers of sparkling, rosé, white and red. We tasted the wines blind, out of glasses rather
than straight from the can.
The highs were pleasantly surprising. The lows, well... "Some of these wines just screamed out
at us," said Daniel Veit of Carbon Beach Club in Malibu, who wished for "a little bit more simplicity." And W&S contributing editor Patrick J. Comiskey noted that many felt like "leftovers,
afterthoughts or press fractions," wines that made their way to can instead of the bulk market.
Here are the ten that impressed our panel. -KAREN MONEYMAKER

SPARKLING

WHITE

Vinny
Finger Lakes Sparkling

Canned Oregon
Oregon Pinot Gris

Thomas Pastuszak blends Vinny from onethird grüner veltliner and two-thirds dry
riesling, taking it through a long, slow, cold
fermentation using yeasts he brought in
from Austria. He uses the Charmat method
to add sparkle to this luscious wine, round
with lively lemon-lime-pith and dried-apricot
flavors. It's frothy, acid driven and tart. "I'm
stunned at how good this is," said Comiskey, a sentiment echoed by the rest of our
panelists.
$19/four 250-ml cans

Nomadica
2017 Arroyo Grande Valley
Sparkling Rosé

Ethan Lindquist works with syrah sourced
from the Rancho Arroyo Grande vineyard for
this sparkling rosé, which offers fresh raspberry and cranberry compote scents, coupled
with a creamy, bubbly texture that keeps the
wine clean. Simply crushable, and in a beautiful can to boot.
$22/four 250-ml cans

Onward
2017 Suisun Valley Pétillant
Naturel Methodo Martonatti
Malvasia Bianca

Faith Armstrong produces this delicious,
spot-on pét-nat in a Brite Tank (often used
in beer fermentation), allowing CO2 to vent
while keeping enough in the tank to sustain the fizz. She then lets the fermentation
continue in can. It's tart, with grape-skin
scents, and a beeline of acidity that frames
the flavors.
$12/375-ml can

WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2019

Scents of barely ripe nectarine meet hints
of marzipan and ginger in this shy pinot
gris. It tastes like biting into a frozen green
grape and would be delicious while floating
a river-or with banh mi on a picnic.
$7/single 375-ml can

Right Now
California Alpine Stream White

Clean, straightforward and bright, this blend
of pinot gris, viognier, sauvignon blanc and
vermentino is framed by white-flower and
fresh-linen scents. It's a great foil to summer
outdoor cinema or long talks by a beach
bonfire.
$6/375-ml can

ROSÉ
Jam Cellars
California Candy Rosé

Heady and candy-coated in its scent (think
Bazooka Joe and peach rings) this wine
could tip into the realm of saccharine, but a
line drive of acidity gives it cool directness.
It's refreshing and bright, a mouthful of
strawberry-blossom and lemon-zest flavors.
Drink it while planting tomatoes in the
garden.
$20/four 250-ml cans

Bridge Lane
North Fork Cabernet Franc Rosé

Another stand-out favorite. The scent of
dried apricots and oyster shells drives this
savory, bright rosé; then it ends on a grippy
finish. "Great for a picnic rather than poolside," noted Danielle Françoise Fournier of

LA's Here's Looking at You. Our panel agreed
that the savory notes would pair well with
pickled vegetables and charcuterie.
$34/four 375-ml cans

Farmstrong
2017 Redwood Valley Field Rosé

Faith Armstrong wanted an alternative to
beer in a can for camping and outdoor excursions, so she started her canned-wine projects-Onward and Farmstrong. She blends
carignane and zinfandel from vineyards in
northern Mendocino County for this cool,
crunchy red-fruited rosé-a mouthful of
cherry blossom that would be a delight on
the top of a mountain after a hike.
$9.50/375-ml can

RED
Sans
2017 Mendocino County Coyote
Rock Block Poor Ranch Vineyard
Carbonic Carignan

Tart cherry and rhubarb, dark chocolate and
dried fig drive the flavors in this chillable red.
"Texturally the most compelling of the red
wines we tasted," said Veit. Fermented as
whole clusters, this is a pleasantly waxy and
stemmy red to chill for salami.
$15/375-ml can

Gotham Project
California Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine's oak is present but well integrated
into scents of mocha, chocolate and mole,
with snappy stemmy notes wrapped in ripe,
plush fruit. Varietally correct and vinous: The
consensus of our panel was, "Hey! It's cabernet, but in a can!" Serve it slightly chilled at
backyard barbeques.
$10/two 250-ml cans ■

Wine & Spirits - June 2019

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