Field Recordings Canned Wine Is Delicious
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On a recent trip to California's Central Coast, we stopped by a miniscule little winery in Paso Robles called Field Recordings. The winemaker there is a young chap named Andrew Jones who started making wine out of what's essentially a glorified garage a few years ago. Jones makes a bunch of intriguing wines, and, recently, he's started putting a few of his Fiction brands?a red blend, a rosé blend and a Pinot Gris?into 500-milliliter tallboy-style cans.
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Yes, we know: Canned wine sounds ridiculous, a step down from even the boxed stuff. But just like craft brewers discovered a few years ago, once consumers get past the stigma of the unorthodox container, cans are actually great vessels for packaging wines that are meant to be consumed fresh. Plus, they're great for transporting to the beach, camping trips or sipping by the pool.
The Fiction wines themselves are seriously great stuff. Jones works as a vine nursery fieldman, which means that he plants and rotates different vineyards all over the Central Coast and sources his fruit for Fiction and Field Recordings from some of his best clients. Our favorite, the 2013 Fiction Red (four-pack of 500-milliliter cans; $40, plus shipping), is an unusual blend of Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Touriga Nacional, all sourced from local wineries. It's a deep red wine with ripe stone fruit flavors and a rich but not heavy mouthfeel. Pair it with hearty grilled meats or sip it on its own, straight from the colorful can.