Drink of the Week: Maker Canned Wines

Context is crucial to the enjoyment of a beverage. Half of what makes a well-made beer or cocktail so delicious is the atmosphere found in our neighborhood taproom or cocktail bar. But this year has forced us to create a new context, as we move much of our drinking outdoors to accommodate safely distanced summer activities. Enter Maker Canned Wines. Launched in late 2019 by Stanford classmates Sarah Hoffman and Kendra Kawala, Maker is a San Francisco-based company that partners with smaller, independent winemakers to put their wine in cans and share their stories. So far this summer I’ve had a dry, fruity rosé from Christensen Winecraft sipped while reading beside a lake, a delicately floral Viognier from Campovida Wines with my dinner beside the campfire, and a perfectly crushable Pinot Noir from Handley Cellars while taking in the sunset from Mount Hood. Some of the cans are available in individual or mixed six-packs, while others are available only by signing up for their can club, with 12 or 24 cans shipped every three months. For prices and more info, visit makerwine.com.