Summer is in the air, which can mean only one thing: it’s picnic time! For all your al fresco sipping needs, we’ve rounded-up the best canned wines out there.

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This category has come on in leaps and bounds: there are now specialist companies like Canvino, Kiss of Wine and the aptly named Canned Wine Company. And, some of the wines below are genuinely superb, not just nice for swigging in the sunshine.

And, why not? Canned wines aren’t just for picnics, taking on trains or drinking at festivals. Cans are handy for when you might fancy just a glass of something nice midweek rather than opening a bottle. We’re just catching up with the Americans, who have long been putting quality wines in cans. It helps that canning technology has improved hugely in recent years, too – you’re not going to get any odd metallic tastes.

Cans can be better for the environment, too, as they weigh less and tend to be recycled more than glass. Most of these wines will have been transported in bulk to Britain before being canned over here, which saves massively on energy.

Some of these wines come from supermarkets, but many can be purchased direct from the producer, which is worth thinking about if you’re buying in bulk.

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Each sample was tasted out of a glass and straight from the can. The sweeter, simpler wines tended to taste better chilled from the can, whereas for the more complex ones – especially the reds – are best poured into a proper glass.

For more, visit our reviews section and find more than 400 practical buyer's guides, taste tests of gin, vodka and more. For more summer drinks inspiration, read our round-ups of the best canned cocktails, best English wine, best bottled cocktails and best rosé. For regular wine deliveries direct to your door, sign up to the Good Food Wine Club for discounts on exclusively curated wine cases chosen by experts and the Good Food team.

Best canned wines to buy at a glance

  • Best aromatic white: Canned Wine Company Verdejo, £5.50
  • Best premium canned rose: Mirabeau Pret-a-Porter 2023, £3.50
  • Best big red: Banks Brothers Merlot 2020, £21 for three
  • Best Italian pink: Copper Crew Rosato, £10.50 for three
  • Best crisp white wine: Kiss of Wine Sauvignon Blanc Crisp, £4.75
  • Best Beaujolais: Fleurie Château des Moriers - Les vins de Vicky Fleurie 2020, £5
  • Best Garnacha: Kanvas Garnacha Negra, £5
  • Best canned English: The Uncommon Bubbly wine, £4.75
  • Best budget sparkling: Canvino Bianco, £2.50
  • Best chilled red: Vinca Organic red wine, £3.60

Best canned wines to buy 2024

Canned Wine Company Verdejo

Available from Ocado (£5.50), Canned Wine Company (£18 for three cans)

Canned Wine Company Verdejo

Best aromatic white

Verdejo is an aromatic white grape native to Spain, which produces wines with distinctive almond, floral and citrus notes. This high-quality example comes from the Canned Wine Company, which has a brilliant selection, from fizz to juicy reds and refreshing rosé. We'd highly recommend getting a mixed case.

Available from:

Mirabeau Pret-a-Porter 2023

Available from Tesco (£3.50), Sainsbury's (£3.50)

Mirabeau Pret-a-Porter 2023

Best premium rosé

From one of the biggest names in Provence rosé, Mirabeau, this canned version is excellent. It’s incredibly pale, almost colourless, but with plenty of delicate strawberry and stone fruit, plus a refreshing saline edge. It's a great wine to take to the beach.

Available from:

Banks Brothers Merlot 2020

Available from Banks Brothers (£21 for three)

Banks Brothers Merlot 2020

Best big red

We've tasted a load of wines from Banks Brothers, and it's all pretty excellent. And, no wonder: this new company buys wines from some seriously classy producers. In this case, it's Glen Carlou in South Africa, which provides a beautifully ripe merlot with silky tannins and ripe, plummy fruit and chocolate.

Available from:

Banks Brothers (£21 for 3)

Copper Crew Rosato

Available from The Copper Crew (£10.50 for three), Twelve Green Bottles (£20.95 for six)

Copper Crew Rosato

Best Italian pink

Copper Crew sources its wines from Puglia. We think the pink is the pick of the bunch, but the red and white are excellent, too. It’s a blend of southern Italian varieties like Primitivo and Negroamaro, creating a gutsy rosato that’s full of crunchy red fruit and a distinctly bittersweet quality. This would be brilliant at a barbecue, as it goes with everything.

Available from:

Kiss of Wine Sauvignon Blanc Crisp

Available from Kiss of Wine (£4.75)

Crisp Kiss of Wine

Best crisp white wine

Kiss of Wine is another canned wine specialist with strength in depth. We particularly enjoyed this Loire sauvignon blanc with its crisp nettle and citrus notes. It’s very much in a restrained sancerre-esque style and would be delightful with a splash of cassis in it.

Available from:

Château des Moriers Miss Vicky 'O Joie' Fleurie

Available from EW Wines (£5)

Fleurie canned wine

Best Beaujolais

Beaujolais (and especially Fleurie) makes the best picnic wine: it goes with everything and tastes great both cool and at room temperature. We couldn’t quite believe how good this was for the price, equivalent to £15 a bottle, with its crunchy raspberry fruit and rocky mineral edge. This is unusually sophisticated for something from a can.

Available from:

Kanvas Garnacha Negra

Available from KernoWine (£5)

Kanvas Garnacha

Best Garnacha

There are a lot of Spanish garnachas (aka grenache) available in cans, probably because it’s such a good source of high-quality cheap wine. This was particularly impressive: it’s bursting with ripe raspberry fruit with a floral orange blossom quality. You could probably drink this chilled, though watch out for the 14.5% ABV.

Available from:

The Uncommon Bubbly rosé wine

Available from Ocado (£4.75)

The Uncommon bubbly

Best sparkling rosé

The Uncommon is a specialist canned wine company that sources its wines from southern England. Everything it does is delightful, like this sparkling pinot noir with its delicate cherry fruit seasoned with herbs and orange peel, all topped off with a light fizz. It shows just how good English sparkling wine can be.

Available from:

Canvino Bianco

Available from Tesco (£2.50)

Canvino Bianco

Best sparkling white

A prosecco-style wine which is much nicer than any proseccos I’ve had at the price, equivalent to just under £10 a bottle. This is made in northern Italy from a blend of chardonnay and trebbiano grapes producing a crisp, zingy lightly sparkling wine with a zingy finish and only 10.5% alcohol.

Available from:

Vinca Organic red wine

Available from Abel & Cole (£3.60)

Vinca canned wine

Best chilled red

This is a blend of two of Sicily’s best grapes, nero d'avola and frappato, grown organically in the west of the island. Drink it chilled to appreciate the ripe strawberry and pomegranate notes. It would be especially nice with a tuna and orange salad. Vinca also makes a white and a rosé which are well worth trying.

Available from:

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If you have any questions or suggestions for future reviews, or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk. For information on alcohol guidelines, read our guide to drinking responsibly.

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