A wine merchant in Bristol is set to launch a crowdfunding campaign to produce what it says will be England’s first canned orange wine.
Nania’s Vineyard, which operates from an allotment in the Montpellier area of the city, is collaborating with farmers and other small growers from across the country to create three new still wines in aluminium cans.
In addition to the orange wine, sometimes referred to as amber wine, the business is also hoping to be able to make what it says will be the first canned English pinot noir and an elderflower spritzer.
The collaborative brand was established last year by James Bayliss-Smith and Shelley Nania after the couple got a taste for winemaking in 2017 when they inherited a 50-year-old grape vine in their garden.
While producing their first vintage during lockdown, Mr Bayliss-Smith made around 30 bottles of orange wine in the allotment and was inspired to scale up production of it by sourcing grapes from other growers and winemakers.
Nania’s Vineyard is hoping to raise £9,000 with its crowdfunding campaign - launching on Wednesday, June 23, midway through English Wine Week - which it says will help to fund the purchase of six tonnes of grapes.
The business previously used grapes produced by another grower in Essex to produce a canned rose spritzer which garnered sales across the country.
Explaining the company’s new product, Mr Bayliss-Smith said: “Sometimes also called amber wine, orange wine is skin-contact white wine.
“It’s made in the manner of red wine, with the skins left in, which gives more flavour, more texture and an often glowing final colour."
Mr Bayliss-Smith said England was already making "amazing" sparkling wines, but was also starting to produce "incredible" still wines too.
“By crowdfunding our new orange wine, we can access the country's best grapes and support growers from across the country," he added.
Figures published by Wines of Great Britain estimated that 5.5 million bottles of wine produced in the UK were sold in 2019, of which 10% were exported overseas.
