Tins ain’t what they used to be: canned wine is no longer the preserve of Gen Z

On picnics, at festivals and generally on the trot, what are more practical than bottles? For the carbon-conscious, what have a markedly lower environmental impact than glass?

And what if, for whatever reason, you don’t want to commit to a full 750ml bottle of wine? This small, light and sustainable format is a secret weapon to keep, quite literally, in your back pocket; with cans – wherever you are and whatever you’re doing – drinking wine is always possible. Not to get too Barack Obama about it, but “yes, we can”.

Gen Z are largely behind the recent boom in canned wines, which stands to reason: fewer of them are drinkers and those who are do so only moderately, so a smaller format suits. Per to a 2025 survey by Ocado , 53% of them “have been directly influenced by social media to try boxed or canned wine”.

This shows in the way those formats are marketed: the peachy-pink can of Nice’s Pale Rosé , for instance, reads, “Won’t shatter on the dancefloor”, while Vinca’s catarratto “pairs well with great company”. A and close to all of them make a point of their recyclable packaging, appealing to the most environmentally-conscious generation to date. (Glass bottles are, after all, consistently found to be one of the largest contributors to wine’s carbon footprint.) Continue reading...