Here’s How the First ICWA Went
Six Gold Medals at the First ICWA
35 Wines in Cans Overall Merited a Medal
The First Year of this Innovative Competition
Following a highly successful day of judging in May, The Independent Canned Wine Awards (ICWA) announced our inaugural results on 9th June, with six wines in cans gaining the top Gold medal status. A wide range of different styles and origins of wine were submitted, with not only white, red and rosé but orange wine, port and fruit wines also featuring. A team of expert judges made their selections from almost 50 entries.
The six wines awarded gold were:
The 6 ICWA23 Gold medal Winnners
Vinho Branco, a blend of native white grapes by Gatao; Portugal
Canned Wine Co, Viognier; Languedoc, France
Lubanzi Chenin Blanc; Swartland, South Africa
Wild Steps Malbec; Argentina
Canned Wine Co, Gruner Veltliner; Austria
Port & Tonic white in a can from renowned Port house Taylor’s; Portugal
The top medals in each of white, rosé and red went to:
The top Red, Rosé and White cans
Top White Can on the day: Canned Wine Co: Gruner Veltliner; Austria
Top Rosé Can on the day: Vinca Organic Pale Rosé; Sicily
Top Red Can on the day: Wild Steps Organic Malbec; Argentina
Here’s what the judges had to say:
Winemaker Tommy Grimshaw, Panel Chair:
“The inaugural ICWA was a joy to be part of. The level of wine that we were tasting was generally very good indeed and I feel that canned wine has come a long way over the past couple of years, and we’re now seeing some truly amazing examples of wine in this format.
In truth and from my perspective as a winemaker I wasn’t sure what to expect from the wine quality across the board or how some of the wines might interact with the cans, but my expectations were exceeded.
I hope that all who have won medals are able to share it with pride and be ambassadors for the world of wine in can. I think that more and more producers will be looking closely at what’s happening in the canned wine community, so to have a competition that is celebrating the producers doing it well, is fantastic.”
Wine entrepreneur Alex Taylor, Panel Member:
“Putting wine into Aluminium containers can be incredibly tough, as I know from my day job at The Online Wine Tasting Club, so i was delighted to see how far the canned wine industry has come in the last year alone!
The ICWA gave us a spectacular chance to test a range of cans from many different providers and countries against each other in a neutral setting.
I was impressed at the continued improvement to wine quality, but also the vastly expanded range of styles available: from everything from low intervention natural orange wines to super-easy drinking wines plus some really impressive wine- based drinks.
My standouts were the Canned Wine company’s Grüner Veltliner, Lubanzi’s Chenin Blanc, an incredibly delicious White Port & Tonic from Mentzendorff and, impressively, a super-rich and fruity red blend from Candour which managed to take the style of canned red wines into a new and really consumer-friendly place that I wasn’t sure the format would be able to support!
The ICWA is a fantastic initiative and it was a privilege to work with such a knowledgable and well-rounded group of judges. We think it absolutely validated the idea that canned wines are not just here to stay, but can surprise and delight with an incredible spectrum of styles to suit all palates.”
‘Knowledgeable Consumer’ Louloua Smith, Panel Member:
“A real eye opener of a contest with some serious examples of great quality wine. I’m definitely converted; canned wine isn’t just for the picnic basket. Some of the winners definitely deserve a place in my wine fridge, for those cheeky ‘I need a glass pronto’ moments! Or, perfect for an evening with friends where you fancy trying multiple wines.
My three absolute favourites were by far the Gruner, White port & Tonic and the red GSM blend. All of these were really strong examples in their own right and had taken us all by surprise given they were canned. Had such a fantastic time at the event, mingling with wine producers, suppliers and experts from all over the UK. Such a beautiful setting in Averys wine cellar, steeped in history and a perfect intimate atmosphere for such an event.”
Here’s what the producers had to say:
On their gold medal win, Alexander McNair of Hatch Mansfield, who developed the Wild Steps Organic Malbec, commented:
“We are thrilled that the first ever vintage of our Wild Steps Organic Malbec has achieved the sole gold medal for a red wine in the inaugural edition of the ICWA. 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.”
Thoughts on the event from ICWA founder:
Alexander Taylor, founder of the ICWA competition, summed up the event and its inaugural set of results, commenting:
“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 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 sheer smashability that these cans deliver”.
The ICWA will return in 2024.