This year at the London Wine Competitions, more than 2500 products were judged by an esteemed panel of sommeliers, masters of wine and wine buyers for the best hospitality organisations in the country.

They unanimously voted the Bubbly White Wine by The Uncommon to be the Best Wine of the Year by Packaging - and it comes in a can!

With 90 points, the Gerald Bubbly White Wine at 11.5% ABV bags a Gold Medal for itself. It is vegan friendly, endlessly recyclable, and naturally low in sugar.

What to expect?

Aromatic citrus notes of lemon, lime cordial with elegant notes of hedgerow fruits and hints of rhubarb. The sweet and sour character of candied fruits with perfect acidity and dissolves to a grassy and herbaceous finish.

Another product from their range to bag a medal is the Eleanor Bubbly Rose Wine at 84 points winning the brand a shining silver.

What to expect?

Refreshing and clean aromas of red fruits like raspberry, strawberry with tart fruit nuances. Balanced acidity with savoury characters of pepper and dried coriander make it an easy wine to drink.

Thus The Uncommon is paving the way for a new era of English wine, with its award-winning sparkling wines and spritzers – designed to thrive in cans. Wine in cans are quickly capturing the attention of the modern wine drinker. It delivers a carbon footprint that’s 80% lighter than glass. The Uncommon thus aims to be the most sustainable wine brand in the UK.

When Henry Connell, Co Founder at The Uncommon was asked what is the next step for The Uncommon to reach 'the ultimate ambition of the most sustainable wine brand in Europe?’, he said - 

“We are the first B-Corp certified wine producer in UK which was a great first step.  We have a very small and traceable supply chain and our whole ethos is about celebrating the great produce we have on our very doorstep.

However, we are fully aware that our vines are a mono crop which ultimately has a negative impact on the land.  We are working very hard with our growers to mitigate this impact by 'wilding' our vineyards with wildflowers and pollinators to increase biodiversity and soil health.   

We are also proud member of SWBG (sustainable wines of Great Britain) working in the vineyard and winery to ensure we neutralise our carbon footprint and impact on the wider environment.  We are in the process of measuring our carbon output through the lifecycle of production and the aim in 2025 onwards is to be a carbon positive producer.”

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​​What are you currently excited about with regards to the brand?

The quality of our wines. We are now coming into our 6th vintage and we are increasingly proud of the grapes we grow (we use the champagne varietals of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay) and the wines we make.  England is now the most exciting sparkling wine region in the world and we are proud to be part of the growth in quality and innovation.  

What do the images on your cans signify?

Englishness.  The idea was to create the quintessential English wine brand.  The characters are a nod to Victorian England and we wanted to choose names like Gerald that may have fallen out of favour. We wanted to capture and celebrate this fun and whimsical nature, so unique to England.

How have the awards helped with sales/marketing?

Awards are always important, especially for the more niche producers.  However, first and foremost we set out to make the best quality wine in the right way, for people and planet.  We chose the can (rather than the bottle) because it's a better environment for our wines which are young, fruity and aromatic.  There is a misconception that the can is inferior to the bottle; this couldn't be further from the truth and is evidenced by our medals and trophies (in blind tastings alongside our bottled peers) at LWC, IWSC and WineGB.  This was incredibly gratifying and humbling.  

Written and Interviewed by Stuti Khetan, Beverage Trade Network