Best Canned Wine for Picnicking, Beaching, or Drinking in the Shower

Canned wine has come a long way. There was a time when I would have turned my nose up at a can of wine. Those days are long gone. Now, the best canned wine can go head to head with the best bottled wine! Okay, that’s not quite true. But it certainly can hold its own against reasonably priced bottles you can find at your local Kroger-owned store. 

How do I know? I tried a whole bunch of nationally available canned wines in search of the best canned wines. And I found eight that I stand behind. 

Why trust me?

I come from Sonoma County—California’s superior wine country—so wine is in my blood. It certainly was after our most recent canned wine taste test, at least. (Just kidding, we are very responsible when it comes to tasting alcohol in the office.) I admit I can be a bit of a wine snob, but only regarding good tasting wine. I firmly believe that you do not have to pay a ton of money for a great wine. (That said, if Chateau Yquem or Dom Perignon wanted to send me some samples for consideration, please do reach out.) 

What we looked for in the best canned wine: 

Good flavor. The best canned wine should taste like good wine. It doesn’t have to be layered and complex or have nuanced tannins. But it does have to be enjoyable—something you want to keep sipping. 

Little bubbles (if sparkling wine). A lot of canned sparkling wines have big bubbles. But sparkling wine should have delicate bubbles. The big bubbles get in the way of the flavors. 

Easy drinking. You should be able to drink a whole can in one sitting. Canned wine is not for pondering. It’s for gulping. 

Focusing on nationally available brands, we cracked open more than 20 different cans in search of the very best wine in a can. We’re talking canned sparkling wine (for those special but not that special occasions where you can’t have glass), canned red wine, canned rosé wine, and canned white wine—we found the best canned Chardonnay. Here are the best canned wines to buy at the grocery store. 

Best Canned Wines

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Best Canned Red Wine

Underwood Pinot Noir

Total Wine

gopuff

This red wine needs to be chilled. At room temp, it’s totally fine. But chilled? It shines. I’m a sucker for minerally red wines that are better out of the fridge and that’s exactly what this canned red wine is. It has a lot of rich cherry flavors on top of that wet stone flavor. (It’s a good thing in wine, really.) This is the can of wine I’ll be taking along on picnics or cracking in my evening shower when it’s been a long day and I just really need some time to myself. Hey, other parents of small children, I know you get me!

Credit: Liv Averett / gopuff

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Canned Sauvignon Blanc

Bev Sauvignon Blanc

Instacart

You really need to like a grassy, green peppery Sauvignon Blanc to choose this canned wine. But if that’s your style, then you’re going to love it. It has all of those classic Sauv Blanc flavors with a little bit of refreshing fizz. It’s a nice compromise between a still wine and a sparkling—and the spritziness helps elevate the acidity.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Canned Sparkling Rosé

House Wine Rosé Bubbles

Total Wine

This sparkling canned rosé wine is fruity at first but ends crisp and dry. The bubbles are extremely small and delicate. For me, this is the best sparkling wine in a can to pair with a cheeseboard. It’s a little too dry to drink on its own, but sipped with a creamy brie or tangy cheddar? Now that’s living.

Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Canned Pinot Gris

Underwood Pinot Gris

gopuff

If you go for Sauvignon Blancs or Pinot Grigios, then this is the best wine in a can for you. It’s slatey and flinty. It’s dry and lime-zesty. It’s crisp and clean and citrusy. But it has some heft to it as well. It smells almost like fall spices. It’s the best canned wine to drink on a brisk fall day. Take a walk around the neighborhood with this wine in a can and admire the changing leaves. (Don’t tell the cops I told you to drink in public.)

Credit: Liv Averett / gopuff

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Canned Rosé

Simpler Wines Rosé

We tried three Trader Joe’s canned wines: the white, peach, and rosé. And the rose was the clear winner. It’s surprisingly earthy and tastes like it actually saw some time in a barrel. But there’s also a lot of tangy fruit, paired with a gentle spritziness. I really can’t believe how rich and complex it is—especially considering it costs around $1 a can! It’s definitely the best canned wine to buy if you’re on a tight budget.  

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Canned Sparkling (Runner-Up)

Magnificent Brut Bubbles

Albertsons

While this isn’t the best canned sparkling wine we tried, it comes close. It’s super bright and fruity and zippy. And it’s very easy to drink. It’s almost more like a sparkling wine soda than a canned Champagne. No food needed to pair with this canned wine. You can totally drink it on its own. Plus, the can looks great. Points for extremely appealing millennial style.  

Credit: Liv Averett / Albertsons

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Butter Chardonnay

Best Canned Chardonnay

gopuff

I’ll admit it. I judged this canned wine by its name. I thought I was in for an overly oaked, headache-inducing, way too buttery Chardonnay. But I was wrong. Yes, it has a great oaky backbone. But it’s not over-oaked at all. It’s bright and acidic and lemony. Since tasting it during our most recent canned wine taste test, I’ve brought cans home to sip with dinner. If you’ve been eschewing this canned wine because of its name, give it a go. I think you’ll be really pleasantly surprised. 

Credit: Liv Averett / gopuff

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Underwood The Bubbles

Total Wine

The fact that this canned sparkling wine comes in such a big can is dangerous. It is very, very drinkable. If you like Cava or Prosecco, then this is definitely the best sparkling wine in a can for you. But even if you aren’t typically a sparkling wine drinker, I think you’ll enjoy this one. It has the slightest toastiness and hint of lemony tang. It’s perfectly balanced and it simply goes down real easy. It’s the best canned wine to have on hand for pretty much any occasion. Pizza? Totally. Beach day? For sure. Engagement? Why not? Stock up and never be far from the best canned wines again.

Related: All the best canned Champagnes we’ve tried

Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Other canned wines we tried:

House Wine Brut Bubbles, Bonterra Bubbles Brut, Sofia Brut Rosé, 14 Hands Unicorn Rose Bubbles, Out Spoken Bubbly Rosé, Avaline Rosé Wine, Archer Roose Rose, Out Sporken Rosé, Dark Horse Rosé, Underwood Rosé, Out Spoken Pinot Grigio, Dark Horse Pinot Grigio, 14 Hands Winery Pinot Grigio, Provision Bubbles, Woodbridge Chardonnay, Magnificent Pinot Grigio Bubbles, Wood Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon, House Wine Chardonnay, Simpler Wines Peach, Simpler Wines White