PINOT NOIR IN A CAN

YEP, YOU READ THAT RIGHT.  Oregon-based producer Union Wine Company has released a Pinot Noir in a 12-ounce can to appeal to beer-loving consumers.  The cans will go on sale next year for around $5 each.  The idea for the cans, carrying both Underwood Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, came after a trial run at Portland Oregon food and wine festival, Feast 2O13, proved a hit.  Union Wine Company’s owner, Ryan Harms, is hoping the cans will help make wine more accessible to a new breed of consumers.  In addition, his cans will save the company around 4O% on its packaging costs.  “There is a ‘winification’ of beer going on and we are at the forefront of a new trend – the ‘beerification’ of wine.  We want to be a part of everyday celebrations.  These wines are more about immediacy, and the can is an extension of that thinking,” he added.  Emblazoned with a Twitter friendly #PinkiesDown call to arms, the back of the can reads: “We believe what goes into the glass is more important than the type of glass it is being poured into.”  This is not the first canned wine to hit the market.  Last year, Accolade Wines launched a range of sparkling wine-based drinks in a can called The Sparkling Collection, sold under the Hardys, Banrock Station and Stone’s brands.  Skeptics will certainly abound.  Ultimately, the proof will be in the glass it’s poured into.