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Most Wanted Wines is stocked across all the major mults

Canned brand Most Wanted Wines is now the UK’s biggest branded single-serve wine.

The brand, launched by Cheltenham-based importer and agent Off-Piste Wines in 2015, has grown value sales by 87% over the last two years [NIQ 104 we 20 April 2024].

It first rolled its Pinot Grigio Fizz cans into UK retail in 2017, and has now overtaken competitor miniature bottles from brands including Blossom Hill, Campo Viejo and Plaza Centro to become the number one single-serve wine brand by value in the UK, with sales of £10.7m [NIQ].

Own label continues to lead the wine minatures segment, however, with sales of £48.8m.

The success of Most Wanted showed consumers were embracing canned wine “for its convenience, outdoor suitability and sustainability benefits”, said Off-Piste Wines.

“As an alternative packaging format, cans deliver incremental profit by opening up new occasions that cannot be serviced by glass,” it said. “With the additional benefit that aluminium is a more sustainable option than glass, across its full lifespan from production, transport, storage to the recycling process – it is the future of single-serve formats.”

Reaching the top spot in single-serve branded wine reflected Off-Piste Wines’ “unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional quality, and convenience in a more sustainable format”, according to MD Andy Talbot.

“As pioneers in the UK canned wine movement, we are proud to lead the charge towards a more accessible, convenient and inclusive future for the wine industry,” he added.

To help bolster recycling rates of its cans, Most Wanted partners with Every Can Counts, making an annual charitable donation to the non-profit organisation.

“The growth of drink cans in the miniature wine category reflects a wider trend of both brands and consumers making increasingly sustainable packaging choices,” said Every Can Counts’ programme director Chris Latham-Warde. “Of course, to fully realise the environmental benefits of these choices it is vital for drink cans to be recycled.

“We are grateful for the support of drink brands such as Most Wanted Wines in helping us to increase our impact and work towards our goal of a 100% recycling rate for drink cans.”

As well as being stocked across the traditional big four mults, Most Wanted cans are available to buy from Bestway and Booker.