The ICWA

How does a canned wine competition work? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Well, put simply we set out to blind-taste and rate the best canned wines and wine-based bevs on the UK market, to create a useful signpost for consumers. 🪧

And the ones we awarded medals to are ALL worthy of your attention and hard earned cash. 👀

Head over to our website to find out who got what, where the shiny golds - 6 of them - went, what some our judges thought of the event, and to click through to the producer websites. 🏃‍♀️

Here’s ICWA founder Alex Taylor with a few thoughts on the results:

“I’m so excited to share the results from the inaugural ICWA! What we have in this set of results and medals is an incredibly upbeat and dynamic snapshot of many of the best cans on the UK market today. We set out this comp not just as a way to celebrate these pioneering producers but also to create a useful consumer signpost, to help our thirsty peers to find and try some of the best canned wines around right now, and that’s exactly what we’ve ended up with. The response from canned wine producers has been really positive and the results turned in by our judges goes a long way to validate that confidence in the products entered. These results really showcase the quality and diversity of grape varieties and wine styles now available in cans, which will challenge preconceptions and elevate the image of this format. I’m calling 2023 here in the UK as a huge summer for the canned wine format, as more consumers discover the fun, convenience, sustainability, flavour - and put simply, sheer smashability - that these cans deliver.”

Thanks so huge to everyone who entered their amazing cans, and to our stellar event team and judges!

Now let’s get these results out there!!!

Hands: .smith008 🙌

Our friends at Vinca - Organic Canned Wine absolutely owning the sundown festival vibes here 🙌🔥😎

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“Thanks for having us it was a blast 💥”

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Head over to our friends at ‘Can do’ wine retailers Vincancan for the incredible canned wine showcase pack - The ICWA23 Medal Six 🙌

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“The wine industry cognoscenti who judged at the inaugural Independent Canned Wine Awards (ICWA) reckoned these cans were the best of a very good bunch! Put their judgement to the test today and taste them yourself!”

https://vincancan.co.uk/products/the-icwa-2023-medal-six

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icwa

And so it came to pass… proof finally that we’re not the same person, and that two Alex Taylors can exist in the same room without space-time being torn and the universe collapsing. Thanks again , loved having you judge with us, great job matey 😁🙌

INTRODUCING THE TOP RED WINE AT .

This is the brilliant Wild Steps Malbec 2021, a premium organic red wine from Argentina.

So this is a full-flavoured red wine is made from Malbec grapes grown in the shadow of the Andes mountains - the vineyards are in the Uco Valley in Mendoza.

Here’s a sample of what the ICWA judges had to say:

“The nose here is vibrant with dark fruit and an earthiness. On the palate, full, ripe dark fruit and silky, well integrated tannins. A delicious red and a fine example of what can be achieved in can.”

“Intense but rounded, and really impressive. Touch of oaky sweetness but that works, and I’m certain this wine will be very popular.”

“Great Malbec. Nicely balanced. Subtle on the nose however very fruity on the palate, and with structure and finesse.”

Will Steps’ Al McNair commented:

"We’re delighted to have picked up a GOLD🥇 for our first vintage of Wild Steps Malbec, and congratulations to all of the other ICWA medal winners 🥇🥈🥉 We are especially delighted by the comments from the award’s expert panel of judges. Innovation is a necessity in overcoming some of the major challenges our industry faces and it’s therefore great to participate in a UK-based, independent competition dedicated to canned wines that recognises and validates the quality potential of alternative packaging formats, while bringing greater overall visibility to the category. We’re off to fire up the BBQ, sit in the sun and crack open a celebratory can! Cheers 🍷"

Head over to Wild Steps Wine to find out more…

https://wildsteps.wine/

Also available to buy from our friends at Vincancan🔥

You know what to do…

Strong vibes from When in Rome Wine! Anyone know of a good festival?! 🥳 Both of these delicious Italian craft wines in cans here took shiny medals at , so we’re totally vouching for them. Off you pop to Sainsbury's 😁🙌

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“Heading to Glastonbury and LOVE wine but realised you can’t take glass bottles in? Don’t worry we have you covered!

Available now at Sainsbury’s our range of Italian craft wines in cans and paper bottles (yes paper bottles) are the perfect way to get great tasting wine on site with-out a hitch. 😎

For those of you on the way to Glasto or already on site but looking for a re-up of wine, head to Sainsbury’s Bridgwater, Sainsbury’s Street or Sainsbury’s Frome but be quick, word is getting out! 👀”

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Superb to see this perfectly timed piece from Susy Atkins in the The Telegraph entitled ‘The best canned wines for festivals, picnics, camping and, yes, trains’.

Even better to see that 2 of the wines recommended were ICWA medal winners, the top placed still white wine from Canned Wine Co and a delicious, super-intriguing little orange number from Nania's Vineyard.

Read it here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/wine/best-canned-wines-for-festivals-picnics-camping-and-trains/

Great work Susy, and thank you! 🔥

We’ve been LOVING getting people’s reactions to the ICWA results 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

… like this one from the legend Melissa Worrall () - suitably excited by the GOLD for Lubanzi Wines 2022 Western Cape Chenin Blanc Can 🙌

In the coming weeks we’ll be posting about all medal winners, plus amplifying some producer posts too, to spread results news as far and wide as possible.

These are canned wines that SO MANY people need to hear about and enjoy ‼️

If you haven’t yet done so, head over to our website to find out who got what, where those shiny golds - 6 of them - went, what our judges thought of the event, and to click through to producer websites.

Do it now!

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What does a canned wine comp look like? Well here’s a taste of how ours looked pre-event, as we lined up on Saturday for the inaugural Independent Canned Wine Awards, under the historic red brick arches of Averys Wine Cellars 🧱🥫🥂🔥