Dear Container Crazed,
Bogle Wines has recently released a line of wines called Element (AL) bottled in custom-made aluminum bottles. According to Jody Bogle, the vice president of consumer relations at Bogle Family Wines, the project has been in the works for years. Which makes sense. Five years ago, the idea of canned wine exploded – this timeline aligns with the White Claw seltzer craze. But alternative packaging has been a discussion in the wine world for over a decade. Until recently, my favorite interaction was Paperboy. They took the concept of boxed wine – the bladder inside a formed cardboard container – and made the cardboard container bottle-shaped. The wine was a solid juicy zinfandel blend that was a fantastic pairing with bacon cheeseburgers – but the market wasn’t really ready for it. The wine brand died despite being lighter & cheaper to produce than a typical wine bottle.
So today – seeing aluminum bottles on the shelf at the grocery store – I’m impressed by the innovation and unsure as to how the market will take it. I have been pretty unimpressed by actual canned wine. For three years, once a year I asked my reps to pull out what they thought were the best ones for a tasting. I finally stopped because I wasn’t buying much. It felt like a waste of time. There were a few things that impressed – Sofia canned prosecco is great for the movies or a trip, Nomadica’s entire line is pretty solid, though I still think everything is 100% improved if you pour them out of the can and into a glass because smelling aluminum while sipping wine is just… not my favorite.
The majority of the canned wines are inexpensive and not fantastic. Think of the $2-4 cans of rosé at 7-11. They are…fine. Not good, often bad. But I have hope for this new Bogle concept. The wines are $17, a Chardonnay, a Pinot Grigio, a Rosé and a Pinot Noir. They are inexpensive and meant to be drunk almost immediately upon purchase.
Considering that the average glass bottle cost in Napa County is $2.47, I can see the appeal of a less expensive, lighter option. The aluminum bottles weigh less than a third of a traditional bottle, while holding the same amount of wine and taking up less space on the truck, less space on the shelf. Also resulting in fewer sommeliers throwing out their backs moving cases of wine.
But the romance! The history! The experience! The experience of wine is so tied to the bottle, the pop of a cork being removed and the balance of the wine bottle in your hand.
But if I’m just picking up a $17 bottle of rosé for time on the river – I wouldn’t mind it being in aluminum. I don’t think…
cheers,
