We couldn’t agree more with the folks over at Drizly that the canned wine category is “set to explode,” and for much the same reason as hard seltzer and RTD cocktails have been so successful — portability, environmental (most glass doesn’t get recycled even though glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity), and portion control among other reasons.
Between 2017 and 2021, volume sales for canned wine in Nielsen-tracked channels increased more than 3,800%. In the 52-week period ending March 25, 2017, total off-premise dollar sales reached $5.9 million, while in the 52 weeks ending March 20, 2021, dollar sales reached $253 million — up 62% over the previous year — and volume sales increased 67%, reaching the equivalent of nearly 30 million bottles.
Though canned products account for just 1% of the wine category’s overall sales on Drizly, they’re poised to make big gains in the coming years, the company says.
“In 2016 and 2017, there were maybe 40 brands with some wine in cans. Now it’s about 230,” says Danny Brager, the bev/al industry consultant and former senior vp for Nielsen’s beverage alcohol practice. “That shows consumers are buying.”
“Canned wine spritzers were previously associated with sugary and lower-quality wine,” says Liz Paquette, Drizly’s head of consumer insights. “We are beginning to see this perception shift with new brands innovating and entering the market, including wine-based cocktails like Ohza’s canned mimosas.”
On Drizly, bottled wine currently dominates the wine category’s overall share at 92 percent, followed by boxed wine at 7%. However, share for canned wines is growing. Over the past 12 months, share increased from 0.7% to 1%. “The explosive growth of canned drinks in other categories suggests that the same growth may be on the horizon for canned wine,” says Paquette.
Red and white wines hold the majority share of Drizly’s overall wine sales, but in the canned wine realm, rosé wines hold the greatest share at nearly 32%. Sparkling wine is a close second at 30% share, followed by white wine (15%), wine spritzers (10%), and red wine (6%).
Drizly’s Best-Selling Canned Wine SKUs, Last 12 Months
- BABE Rosé With Bubbles
- Underwood Rosé Bubbles
- Underwood Sparkling Wine
- House Wine Rosé Bubbles
- Underwood Pinot Noir
- Underwood Rosé
- BABE Grigio with Bubbles
- 14 Hands Unicorn Rosé Bubbles
- Dark Horse Rosé
- Barefoot Hard Seltzer Variety Pack