LA MANCHA WANTS TO SELL CANNED WINE WITH DO SEAL

The Denomination of Origin La Mancha is studying whether it is viable to sell wine in cans. The specifications of the quality label have already been modified to authorize canned food packaging for formats between 18 and 40 centiliters for whites, rosés and young reds.

This phrase introduced in the specifications for wines with Protected Designation of Origin La Mancha now opens the door for the La Mancha DO to enter one of the most progressive markets with a package that would allow access to areas hitherto forbidden to wine.

Two years ago there was a regulatory change when the possibility of packaging wine in bags, the so-called ‘Bag in Box’, was introduced, which has opened up the market for La Mancha wines to the on-trade in northern Europe, which is more accustomed to these formats for serving their customers and serving by the glass. In addition, this format could open up other markets and be extended to venues, such as concerts and macro-festivals, where glass is prohibited.

“We approved it in committee because it was necessary to open up marketing to all types of containers, since there were wineries that demanded it,” said the DO’s president, Carlos Bonilla. In this sense, he stresses that it is “in tests”, which means that the wines are being analyzed since the possibility was approved, almost a year ago, to see their evolution in both white and red wines.

The intention is that this year a definitive decision will be made as to whether there will be wine in cans bearing the DO La Mancha brand. However, there are already several appellations of origin that are analyzing the possibility of packaging wine in cans, since it is a package that “is going to be imposed”.