Founders of sommelier backed canned wine range dismiss bottles are "the past"

The founders of a new range of sommelier-backed canned wines claim that “bottles are the past”, and that their product will disrupt the existing market for alternative packaging formats.  

The new range called Djuce comes with the backing of a group of Michelin-starred sommeliers, a first for a canned wine brand, to create a 12 strong line up of wines, described as a “drink less, drink better” experience.

However, sustainability is the key issue for the brand’s co-founder Philip Marthinsen. "Switching from traditional wine bottles to cans would cut CO2 emissions from packaging by 79%,” he said. "There’s still an old heritage where most of us see glass as something organic and good, while aluminium is evil and dirty. "In fact, aluminium cans are twenty-eight times more efficient to recycle in terms of emissions, twenty times lighter, twice as efficient to transport, and don't break as easily. Bottles are the past, cans are definitely the future,” he added.  

Djuce uses a protective liner to keep its wines in optimum condition and is the first European brand to focus exclusively on top wines from artisan winemakers. “Personally, I think it’s a great feeling when you let people try one of our wines for the first time and then afterwards reveal that they’re from a can. They’d never have guessed it and neither could I to be honest,” said Emmanuel Rosier, sommelier at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris.

The initial 120,000 cans to be produced will feature artwork from a range of contemporary artists, including painters, animators and photographers, representing cities including Berlin, New York, Barcelona and Stockholm.  

Djuce released its first four wines on 23 May, with two more launches to follow in the summer. The entire range is vegan friendly, sustainably farmed, and low in sulphur.