The Story
The Simpler Wines Too Canny Rose’ is a $2.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes from Australia. That is about all I know about the juice that is in the can, so this will be a story about canned wine. The can 375 ml. which is about 12 1/2 oz. in American, so that figures out to 2 healthy 6 oz. pours for a buck and a half each. I poured half the can into a wine stem and kept the other half in the can. I happened to have wine cozy (just like a beer cozy, only this one has Coppola’s logo) so the can will be insolated. A wine can that is too cold will mask the flavors, wine is finicky it can’t be too cold and it definitely can’t get too warm, so use a beer or wine cozy if possible.
When box wine first came out, I would hear people talking about how they must be putting inferior wine in the boxes, because they don’t taste right. But it wasn’t the quality of the wine (well, most of the time it wasn’t) it was the wine in the bladder inside the box was kept from oxygen. To allow the box of wine to last for weeks, the internal bladder had to be airtight and therefore the wine inside came out of the spigot “tight”. WIne needs oxygen to taste its best, but exposure to oxygen will, with time, destroy the wine. To allow the poured glass of box wine to “open up” letting it sit for several minutes and giving the glass a good swirl. Something that most box wine users never did. To combat the problem some producers stuck some sort of inexpensive aerator in the spigot, which helped, but box wine still has a “tight” wine problem.
A can of wine has the same problem as a box wine. There is no oxygen getting thru the can, a cork allows a minuscule amount of air thru as does the seal in the cap of twist top bottles. Bottled wine needs to “breathe” for at least a few minutes to hit its peak and big Red wines often need to be opened an hour or more before drinking. To get the most out of a can of wine you need to pour it into a glass, it does not need to be a stem, a plastic red cup will do. But if the glass isn’t available? Some wines open up quicker than others, Bubbly because of the carbonation is basically pre-opened, a Rose’ does not have tannins and has light flavors, they should come together quickly, young, un-oaked White wines should be ready to go. Chardonnay that underwent malolactic fermentation was aged “on lees”, in oak barrels probably need a glass as will most Red wines that see oak aging. When complex wine is not given time to “open”, the fruit is diminished while the tannins, spice, and pepper are strong, that usually is not pleasant to drink. So, you need to match the style of wine to the container
The Tasting Notes
I am going to have 2 tasting notes, 1 for the wine in the can and the other for the Rose’ poured into the wine glass.
Wine Can Rose’
The color, don’t know, it’s dark in there. The nose is lightly floral, with melon, pear, and lemon. This is a light bodied Rose’, pleasant, but not complex. It tastes of soft strawberry, light and not too tart grapefruit, and a little lemon/lime. There is a salty sensation on the mid-palate along with cranberry.
Rose’ in a Glass
The color is more pale apricot than pink. The nose is floral, with faint citrus and fruit, I think the nose was stronger with the can. The mouth-feel is better in the glass, it is still a soft, light Rose’. It tastes of tart cherry lemonade, melon, a salty, nutty sensation, and crisp, juicy apple.
The Summary
- The glass provided a better drinking experience, a quality mouthfeel and a larger array of flavors. The can was Ok, this isn’t a Rose’ that is going to win any awards.
- When possible pour the can of wine into a glass if it’s the flavor you are looking for. If you want stealth and the convenience you need, then the can should get the job done.
