Wines, fizz and pre-mixed drinks in dinky cans are this summer's trendiest tipples, says Sam Wylie-Harris - and they're a greener option too.
Forget the pop of a cork, squeak of a corkscrew or twist of a screw cap. This summer it's all about pulling the tab on something shiny, slimline and ready when we are - a 25ml can.
Easier to chill, lighter to carry and more environmentally-friendly, craft beer tinnies have been trending for some time. Now, premium wines, fine fizz and pre-mixers are clattering down the canning line too - and we couldn't be happier.
"Wine in a can is finally resonating well with consumers, as people look for more ways to reduce their carbon footprint," says Ashika Mathews, buying director, 31DOVER.
"They're lightweight, perfect for al fresco fun, 100% recyclable, and can taste great. Brands are putting a lot more effort into the liquid as the format finds more acceptance with the public - so expect to see them at every park, festival and beach this summer."
Here are six cool cans to make the most of those mini moments...
1. Mirabeau Pret-a-Porter Rose To Go, Provence, France (£3.49, 13% abv, Waitrose)
A posh, Provencal pink destined to be a fashionista's favourite. "Rose from the South of France has been one of the huge drinks success stories of the last few years, as people have flocked to this easy-drinking, food-friendly wine." says Stephen Cronk, co-founder, Mirabeau-en-Provence.
"We've launched a delicious pink in a can to address the trend in portable canned drinks, which has already taken the US by storm. The appeal is simple: Take your favourite rose anywhere in a dinky slimline canette, that's designed to taste lovely and look beautiful in your hand."
Utterly delicious, you'd be hard-pushed to know it wasn't the real deal straight from a bottle, and as Cronk notes, it "perfectly complements the existing Mirabeau range in terms of quality and style".
2. NICE Sauvignon Blanc in a Can and NICE Pale Rose in a Can, France (£3 each, SV 11.5% abv, Rose, 12.5% abv, 31Dover)
Another fail-safe, French fancy, NICE is very nice indeed. The savvy blanc hails from Gascony, south west France, and it's dry and crisp with lovely hints of white peach and herbal notes, while the rose from the sunny Languedoc boasts a very pretty, petal pink hue and super-fresh taste, with hints of wild strawberries.
3. The Uncommon Sparkling Rose 2018, England (£5.99, 11.5% abv, Selfridges)
Stylistically, The Uncommon looks fab, with its quirky label depicting a swan dressed in beautiful period costume. But I know what you're thinking: Why pay more than a fiver when you could bag a reasonably good bottle of plonk for the same price?
Here's why: This beautiful ballerina pink is the first English sparkling wine in a can; it's made from champagne grapes (a blend of pinot noir and meunier); it's low in sugar (80% less than prosecco - so it's the skinny on the canning line); but mostly, it tastes bloomin' gorgeous. A must for posh picnics, gourmet hampers, or when you get your glad rags on for summer socials and want a pick-me-up en route.
4. O'jos Chardonnay Spritz & O'jos Rose Spritz, Chile (currently reduced to £1.50 from £2, 5.5% abv, Tesco stores)
Leading Chilean wine producer Concha y Toro know a good thing when they see it and have hopped aboard the can band wagon with O'jos - Spanish for eyes.
A blend of Chilean wine, with natural flavours added 'to further enhance the light and refreshing nature of the drink', sweet-toothed types will love the Rose Spritz for its fun and fruity cranberry flavours, and the Chardonnay Spritz for its juicy raspberry notes.
5. Sipsmith Ready To Drink Gin & Tonic (currently reduced to £2.70 from £3, 7.3%, Ocado)
With the same classic London Dry Gin used in their usual bottles, and genuine, juniper expression, what's not to love about this Sipsmith newbie that's a star sip?
"We believe all gin experiences should be of the same uncompromising quality, whether gin lovers are sipping a G&T in a bar, the comfort of their own home, or out-and-about," says Jared Brown, master distiller, Sipsmith.
Blended with regular tonic water (also available 'light'), as with any G&T, it tastes best with ice and a slice.
6. Chapel Down Bacchus Gin & Tonic - 12 Can Case (£30, 5.5% abv, Chapel Down)
Another smart label, English wine producer Chapel Down's premix uses Double Dutch lightest tonic water to enhance the heady aromas of their deliciously refreshing gin. Created using distilled bacchus grape skins infused with botanicals, it's floral rather than punchy, with a ripe, citrusy palate and herbal finish. Again, serve with ice, garnish with a slice of cucumber and sprig of mint and toast the great outdoors.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here