Contest aims to boost aluminum wine can market

Nearly 300 types of canned wine from around the world took part in the fourth annual International Canned Wine Competition held last month at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville, California. Wines from 20 foreign countries competed with compatriots from throughout the United States, the event’s organizer says.

Contest judges awarded 97 gold medals in several categories. Judges, described as “veteran wine industry judges” by the competition’s organizer, included one from the Netherlands who has proposed holding a partner canned wine competition in Europe next year.

This year’s “best of show” winning entries included wines from Handley Cellars, Anderson Valley, California; Djuce Wines of Provence, France; Joiy winery of New Zealand; OBC Wine Project of Fort Collins, Colorado; and Riot Wine Co. of South Australia.

The fifth annual version of the International Canned Wine Competition is being planned for next July, with competition director Allan Green saying that, like its predecessor contests, it will be “aluminating.”

While aluminum wine cans would seem to have a recycling value, under current California Redemption Value (CRV) rules posted to the CalRecycle website, the agency writes that among “notable exceptions are milk, wine and distilled spirits, which are not included in the CRV program.”