Hermit Woods Winery & Deli embraces rising interest in canned wine

MEREDITH — As early as 2003, wineries began to explore cans as a new way to package their wines. Since then, dozens if not hundreds of wineries have started canning an ever-growing range of sparkling and still wines. Hermit Woods Winery & Deli is no exception. Over the past six months, Hermit Woods has released four of their most popular wines and ciders in cans, Petite Blue, Sparking Winnipesaukee Rosé, Dolgo (Sparkling Heirloom Crabapple), and Hermit Hard Cranberry Apple Cider.

Bob Manley, co-founder of Hermit Woods, wants to be clear, “We don’t intend for cans to replace bottles. We simply see cans as another choice for our widely diverse customer base. Considering our winery is located a few hundred yards from our State’s largest lake, Winnipesaukee, we are frequented all summer long by folks arriving by boat. We felt cans were the perfect way for these guests to enjoy our products while experiencing the great outdoors.”

Hermit Woods is not alone. Several other wineries in New Hampshire have also joined the canning trend, including LaBelle Winery, Moonlight Meadery, and Sap House Meadery, to name a few. Nielsen reports off-premise canned wine sales for the 52-week period ending June 15, 2019, has risen 69% from the previous year, totaling $79.3 million in sales so far (Forbes Magazine, Aug 28, 2019, ‘Is The Future Of Wine In The Can?’).

To further ensure the future of canned wine, the US Government recently changed the rules governing the size containers that can be used for wine, expanding the number and size cans wineries can package their wines. For example, until now, wineries were prohibited from using the more common 12oz (355ml) cans, causing them to use the less available and more costly 375ml cans.

To add to the many reasons wineries are exploring cans, cans are 100% recyclable. Roughly 80% of cans today are made from recycled material. Cans are also less costly to recycle and are much lighter to transport, lowering their transportation costs, which reduces their carbon footprint even further.

For these and many other reasons, expect to see more canned wine in the future. Bob Manley at Hermit Woods Winery & Deli had this to say. “We are excited about the reception of our canned products and encourage you to give them a try. We are confident you will be pleased. We hope to continue to grow our canned options in the future.” You can find Hermit Woods canned Cider at the NH State Liquor stores and their other canned products at their winery and other select retailers around NH.