Rethinking Wine Packaging
A bottled wine enthusiast learns about the many advantages of canned wine.
Brad Addington
As someone who typically drinks bottled wine, it was a great pleasure to speak recently with Marian Leitner-Waldman, Co-Founder and CEO of Archer Roose, a trailblazer in the premium canned wine sector.
I first learned about Archer Roose because of their collaboration with Cornell University on a groundbreaking study that could improve canned packaging for all wine brands.
In short order during our interview, Leitner-Waldman made clear 1) why Archer Roose was sharing the findings of this study with the entire canned wine industry (instead of keeping the co-funded study close to the vest) and 2) some of the key benefits of canned wine from the consumer standpoint.
Archer Roose has embraced canned wine for many reasons, including the fact that many municipalities don’t recycle glass but do recycle aluminum.
Courtesy of Archer Roose
Why Archer Roose Embraced Canned Wine
“The story really starts around my dining room table. It was a Monday night, and I really wanted to have a glass of wine, but I had an early morning business trip, and I didn’t want to open a bottle and leave it to rot in my fridge,” Leitner-Waldman explains. “Our journey to embracing canned wines was really driven by this desire to make a high-quality wine more accessible, sustainable, and aligned with modern lifestyles.”
Leitner-Waldman adds: “We want to control how much we drink. From the beginning, we realized there was a big gap in the market, and we wanted to create a product and a brand that maintains the exceptional quality of wine while also offering convenience, affordability and lowering the environmental impact.”
Why Share the Results of the Study
There are unique challenges to maintaining wine freshness in cans, and the Cornell University study will be key to developing precise guidelines for managing sulfite levels in canned wine.
That’s why Archer Roose is sharing the results of the study with the entire industry.
“In order for consumers to adopt canned wines, they’ve got to have an enjoyable sensory experience,” Leitner-Waldman says. “In order for alternative packaging to really be seen as a viable alternative to bottled wine, you can’t have a bad experience with canned wine.
And why exactly does canned wine have a lower environmental impact than bottled wine?
“Most municipalities don’t recycle glass in the United States, but thanks to Coke and Pepsi, everybody recycles aluminum,” Leitner-Waldman notes.
As a recent convert to canned wine, I look forward to reporting on other exciting developments in the premium canned wine sector in the months ahead.
